A Changed Destiny: Rewrite
by 1CharmedPhoenix
Summary: Ginny Weasley becomes a Slytherin and later a Death Eater spy, changing not only her destiny but the destiny of others. She makes terrible mistakes, causes others and herself pain, but read how she grows beyond it, or does she? AU after Deathly Hallows.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I am NOT J.K. Rowling. I wish I was that cool and brilliant. Therefore, ****I HAVE NO RIGHTS TO HARRY POTTER****. This story will quote Harry Potter Books 1-7 but those quotes will always be indicated throughout the text with quotation marks.**

**READER****S** **BEWARE: This story (including Ginny) will be different in several ways than the original ACD, though the timeline of the events that occurred in the HP Books will be similar up until the Battle of Hogwarts. Then the story completely changes. Also, ****Ginny's characterization will be sharper, colder, more calculating and ruthless. At times, her characterization will appear to shift. This is intentional. There will be times when Ginny's behavior/thoughts will be incredibly warm; other times, she'll be incredibly cold. This story is a VERY detailed depiction of Ginny's struggle for her identity, which will be incredibly unstable throughout this story; it portrays only a single part of Ginny's struggle between the Light and the Dark. She will face serious consequences in this story. She will do things and may say things that'll make you want to quit reading this fanfiction. I will place warnings to alert readers of disturbing/graphic scenes. Thank you for reading. And DON'T say I didn't warn you. **

**PROLOGUE**

"_Here, girl, take your book. It's the best your father can give you."_

Ginny, at this moment, could still hear Lucius Malfoy's words spoken to her in Flourish and Blotts ringing in her ear; in fact, she remembered that day extremely well and the fight that had happened between her father and Malfoy Senior in the small shop. Now that Ginny had time to think back on life, she always wondered which moment exactly was the moment that had set her on the path to where she was today. She'd always thought it was the day Lucius Malfoy had thrust that diary into her hands.

Honestly, though, Ginny couldn't be sure. Perhaps it was the first time she ever opened the blasted thing. Maybe it was the first time she'd ever killed someone. Ginny sighed, no longer despairing over the life she'd always ached for. It was that despair that had caused her so much pain in the first place throughout the first quarter of her life—and she could remember the exact day when that despair had begun.

**Chapter 1—The Beginning**

Ginny's eyes were wide as she stared around the corridors of Hogwarts. She wasn't really focusing on the stern witch's voice as she lectured them about something concerning house points, a thing that Ginny understood very well because of Percy and the twins. As she saw the shining suits of armor and a moving stairwell, a wide smile spread across Ginny's face. It was just as Tom had described it; he'd been right when he said that everything in Hogwarts looked like it had a legacy in itself. Everything about the school, Ginny thought, screamed greatness.

"Miss. Weasley," said Professor McGonagall impatiently. Ginny was familiar with her name thanks to Fred and George. "Miss. Weasley, I've had to address you three times. Pay attention, girl, and take your place at the back of the line to be sorted."

"Sorry, Professor."

Professor McGonagall's mouth relaxed as she nodded at Ginny before walking ahead of them toward huge doors that Ginny knew opened up to the Great Hall. Ginny felt a slight wave of nausea nearly cripple her as her legs buckled and her heart rate quickened; her eyes became larger. Ginny thought her eyes were wider than her neighbor, Luna's, who was standing next to her with dirty blond hair and wide, ocean-gray eyes.

It wasn't long before Ginny was standing in a cluster of first years before the very stool where the Sorting Hat rested upon. Tom had told Ginny about the hat and how it sorted people; he knew she was nervous and so he took pity on her (unlike her family and Harry) and had explained the whole ordeal to her. She'd told Tom that she wanted to be Gryffindor like her family; that she wanted Gryffindor courage, bravery, and strength.

Tom only had one response to that ambition: That she should desire to be great above all.

Ginny didn't think that much of his response; in fact, she thought maybe Tom had a point. She was the baby girl out of seven and she _did_ need to stand out. If Ginny was great, then she wouldn't just be another Weasley. There would be more special things about her _herself_ outside of the fact that she was the second female Weasley by birth in over a century. Ginny stared ahead rather blankly; her thoughts were so centered on how she could make her Mum and Dad so proud that she'd nearly not heard Professor McGonagall call her up to be sorted.

Ginny swallowed and focused on trying to place one foot in front of the other without tripping in front of about three-hundred people. Clearly, even knowing exactly how the sorting would go still did nothing to soothe her nerves. Before the Sorting Hat fell over her eyes, Ginny chastised herself. _What are you so nervous for, Gin. The whole family's Gryffindor_.

"Yet another Weasley!" The Sorting Hat spoke from within Ginny's mind.

A bit of resentment welled up within Ginny before she said, "So what if I am. Just sort me already."

"I see the family temper certainly did not escape you." The hat said smartly. Ginny sighed rather impatiently before the hat continued, "Now, where to put you? I see that you're a very bright girl, sharp, witty, and brave, yes. Hmm, now that's interesting."

Ginny's eyes moved from left to right underneath the hat. "What's interesting?"

"The utter obsession you have to prove yourself." The hat replied.

"I'm not obsessed with—."

"It's all here in your head. Do not argue." The hat said a bit irately.

"Please, hurry. People are starting to stare." Ginny begged, although she couldn't be sure whether or not people really were staring. She just didn't like being in front of everyone for so long.

"You have courage but not a Gryffindor's courage, I see."

"I am Gryffindor, I am."

"You have a Gryffindor's fortitude, certainly, but you are not Gryffindor. SLYTHERIN!"

The hall quieted and Ginny's heart seemed to have stopped. Something in the center of her chest felt like it was throbbing, but for what, she did not know. Ginny's mouth was wide open. It wasn't until Professor McGonagall's hand touched her shoulder that she realized that she had hardly been breathing. Ginny greedily took air into her lungs and her vision somewhat cleared. She was able to focus her eyes onto the Professor. McGonagall looked like a woman who had been shocked to her very core; she either was not—or could not—be sure about anything in life. Who could blame her? Every Weasley was a Gryffindor. _Each and every single one. _Ginny could hear the whispers amplifying throughout the Great Hall. She just wanted to completely vanish; that or run away.

"Miss. Weasley, join your house." McGonagall said, looking at Ginny with an assessing gaze.

Ginny's eyes widened as she slightly gave a shake of her head. "Professor, please."

McGonagall's eyes softened but Ginny knew exactly what she'd say before she even said it. "Miss. Weasley, go now."

Ginny swallowed and felt pain. Her mouth was dry; her legs and feet felt extremely heavy. The ground seemed to be further tilting upside-down. Ginny stood and looked away from Professor McGonagall, instead watching the Slytherin table. They were also whispering and sneering in her direction. As she moved toward the table, Ginny forced herself not to run. As she sat down, she told herself repeatedly in her mind that her parents would fix this. This was just an accident and everything would be fine tomorrow.

"Filthy blood traitor." a boy with mouse-like hair and horribly aligned teeth spat three seats down from Ginny.

"They can't seriously mean to keep her here, can they?" asked a dark-haired girl with a pug-shaped nose. She'd asked a boy with platinum blonde hair and cold, gray eyes that question. Ginny recognized his pointy face and remembered that he was Draco Malfoy. He'd picked at Harry in Flourish and Blotts.

"Wait till I tell my father about this." Malfoy said, glowering at Ginny who fought the urge to roll her eyes. "He'll have that trash swept out to join the other vermin in Gryffindor tomorrow."

Ginny opened her mouth to rage at the git, wanting to shout at him that she hadn't ever wanted this house. Ginny didn't choose to be there and she couldn't do anything to change the situation for now. Yet, it was at that moment, when a hand gently touched her right shoulder, stopping her from raging at Draco Malfoy and that stupid girl beside him.

"Don't." said a small, gentle voice that sounded kind. Ginny stared at the very blonde girl beside her, thinking that she perhaps was the most beautiful person that Ginny had ever before seen. "Arguing with him won't do you any good. Just eat your dinner and keep quiet until we reach our dorms."

Ginny opened her mouth to fume at the girl but then realized that she _did_ have a point. Where would yelling get her with Malfoy and the girl? Sure, they probably would never accept the blood traitor but she didn't have to make it all the more easier for her other housemates to ostracize her.

Ginny wanted to close her eyes as a wave of bitter sadness and loneliness welled up from within her. She could feel people staring at her, whispering; she could see them pointing in her direction. There was a part of Ginny that wanted to get up from the Slytherin table and run over to the twins and even Percy to apologize and cry. Ginny slightly glanced over her shoulder, seeing the twins immediately. They were waving her over toward them. Although everything in Ginny wanted to get up and go to them, she shook her head no and faced forward, choosing to focus on the dinner before her at last.

To Ginny, dinner flew by fast. She felt detached as she ate the food and sipped pumpkin juice from her goblet. All she could do was focus on keeping a cool, calm composure. Ginny did not want the Slytherins to sense any weakness from her and that was mostly because she felt like this House—her House—did not appreciate weakness. When Ginny felt the gazes on her no more, she actually looked closer at her housemates and began to assess as many of them as she could. Ginny's mother had always told her not to judge people, and while Ginny understood why she shouldn't, she still did it all the same. After all, everyone had always told her that she was a great judge of character.

As she covertly looked up and down the table at her housemates, Ginny felt depressed by all that she saw. She doubted that she'd ever have a real friend in this house. Molly Weasley had always taught Ginny to look people in their eyes and even Tom and the twins agreed, too. Ginny therefore met her housemate's hateful gazes and felt as if she saw mostly all of them for what they truly were: ambitious—almost viciously so; calculating—even at the most relaxed of moments, Ginny noticed how her housemates studied one another for weakness, she thought; and _selfish_.

As Ginny's eyes became fixed upon the dark brown eyes of a brown-haired, thin boy, she blinked and instantly looked down. If Ginny saw all of that in her housemates, then what did that say about _her_? She, after all, had been sorted there.

"First years," said a voice from Ginny's left. Ginny flinched before looking at the boy prefect, who was sneering down at all of them, "Follow me."

Ginny took a deep breath before following the blonde-haired girl who had stopped her from losing her temper earlier. It took them no time to leave the Great Hall together. As they walked toward the dungeons, Ginny noticed that she didn't have many housemates from her year. There were five boys and only herself and the blonde girl.

"When we get in the commons," the blonde said, slowing her pace until she walked beside Ginny, "I advise you to be in the center of us all. They're not as likely to hex you if they don't have proper aim."

Under any other circumstances, Ginny thought she might have laughed. Instead, she nodded at the girl. "Thanks." Ginny said quietly. "I'm Ginny Weasley."

Ginny held out her hand to the same blond girl with stunning blue orbs, seeing that the girl was assessing her rather thoughtfully in a condescending way. After a few seconds had passed, the girl took Ginny's hand.

"I am Astoria Greengrass—and there's no need to thank me. We are not friends."

With that said, the girl quickened her pace and joined the others who were slightly ahead of them. The girl's rudeness, surprisingly, did not bother Ginny; in fact, her bluntness surprised Ginny, who thought that her open dislike of her had truly been very un-Slytherin like. Yet, as Ginny caught up to the others before their house entrance, she realized that Greengrass must have thought that she'd never have any real use for Ginny and therefore she wouldn't have to befriend her or even pretend to like her. The more prudent thing to have done would have simply been to wait and see. Yet Astoria hadn't, which told Ginny that she was either confident about her standing in Slytherin House or that she was simply rash.

Ginny stepped into the Slytherin commons, and despite herself, she couldn't help but be very impressed by it all. "The Slytherin Common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and a ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs." The room was incredibly spacious and _rich_ looking. Everything about it was cold, elegant, refined and very antique. Ginny was intimidated by this place, but she loved it the moment she laid eyes on it.

"The girls' dormitory is to your left. The boys' dorm is on the right. Your insolence better not cost us the house cup. Goodnight." The prefect spat, looking at them all disgustingly. Ginny thought he looked rather stupid. He acted as if he himself had never been a first year.

Astoria then cleared her throat and gave Ginny an impatient look. Ginny's gaze settled on hers before deciding to ignore Greengrass and to follow her up the stairs. Maybe—just maybe—she could get Astoria to change her mind about her. Ginny felt like she'd need somewhat of a friend in this house.

"Come, Weasley." Astoria ordered. Ginny shook her head, biting back a retort to say that she was already following her. Yet, Ginny thought she knew Astoria's character very well; she was the kind of person who fancied herself above all others and therefore she thought that she could dictate things to everyone.

Upon entering their room, Ginny saw that it was very spacious. The beds seemed to be richly carved and very impeccable. Everything about it was so different to the Burrow, her home. Yet, Ginny still found herself attracted to all of it. Instantly, she told herself not to think like that. Thinking like that was a betrayal of her family and of Gryffindor, which was where she truly belonged.

"Our things are already unpacked." Astoria commented, stating the obvious. She plopped down onto the bed and looked at Ginny thoughtfully.

"What?" Ginny asked; this time, Ginny's voice was hard as steel.

Astoria's right eyebrow rose as she looked at Ginny somewhat surprised.

"I don't know what you're doing here, Weasley, but now that we've established that we're not friends, we need to discuss some rules. First, unless I tell you otherwise, stay out of my way and I'll do the same in return. Goodnight." She said, flouncing to a door off to the left of Ginny's bed.

_Must be the loo,_ Ginny thought, grabbing her shabby nightgown out of the drawer and waiting for Astoria to come out of the room. Suddenly, Ginny's room door burst open. Her head snapped up and her eyes settled on Draco Malfoy. His robes were much like Astoria's. Ginny thought his robes were of black velvet with silk black trimming in the front and a fur hood in the back. Malfoy perhaps would have been good-looking—that is, if a sneer wasn't always present on his face.

"Not so brave now that you're not around Potty, the mudblood, and that brother of yours, are you, girl?"

Ginny felt her wand inside of her robes but decided that she should not draw it yet. Besides, she was a first year; she'd probably hurt herself, rather than him.

"My name is Ginny, and the last time I checked, you weren't so brave yourself." Ginny said, giving him a heated glare that the boy returned with a chilling coldness. "I seem to remember how you ran away from something in your detention last year. I think it happened in the dark forest, did it not?"

Malfoy's lips thinned and his wand hand slightly twitched as he glowered at her. Ginny held up her hands and decided that a change in tactics was needed. She stood slowly, seeing Malfoy frown at her actions. _How she loved doing the opposite of what people expected of her?_ It had always kept her steps ahead of her brothers and their antics. Now she wanted to see how well she could maneuver Malfoy—that is, if she could do so at all.

"Honestly, Draco—if I can call you Draco." Ginny corrected, seeing the boy sneer at her. "Okay, Malfoy then. Look, anyone who's smart enough can see that people in this house care most about what you think. I'll be honest and say that I'm not of them—."

Again, Malfoy sneered at her before saying, "Obviously."

"Still," Ginny said firmly, looking at Malfoy with as much distaste as he looked at her. "I don't want to be petty enough to make an outright enemy of you. I think we'd both know that would be a mistake."

A gleam of something that Ginny didn't really understand appeared in Malfoy's eyes, although she'd thought for a second that it had been pride. "You should know that you'll never be good enough to call yourself a Malfoy's friend, blood traitor."

"And you should not be impertinent enough to think that I would desire a Malfoy's…friendship. I'm still a Weasley."

"I can see that."

"But," Ginny said a bit impatiently, "I think we can tolerate one another. I actually think we may find use for each other."

Malfoy leaned his back up against the threshold of their dorm room door before leveling a cool gaze at Ginny. "I'm listening."

"If you were to somewhat begrudgingly accept me in front of the house, then what would that cost me?" Ginny asked, her gaze never leaving his as a smirk spread across his face.

"You could never afford it," he mocked and then stood straight, approaching Ginny. "But," He added, his eyes lighting up as if he'd thought of something wickedly brilliant, "You could earn it."

"By doing what exactly?"

"Nothing short of bowing to me in front of the entire Great Hall and perhaps licking my shoes."

"Fuck you, Malfoy." Ginny raged, glaring at the prick. "I was trying to be reasonable but I see that you're not. You can go."

"You said so yourself, Weasley." Draco sneered, coming closer to Ginny before quickly drawing his wand and placing it under her chin. "I could make you or break you."

Ginny glared up at him before taking a step closer. "We'll see who breaks who," Ginny said, drawing her wand just as fast as he did, aiming it at his heart. "Now, get out."

Draco leered at her, saying in her ear, "Big mistake."

At that moment, Astoria came back into the dorm and her gaze traveled from Malfoy's cold stature to Ginny's fiery stance. Ginny's gaze met cold ice before Draco turned and swaggered out of their dorm without bothering to shut the door at all. A frustrated groan escaped Ginny, who walked over to her dresser and snatched out a nightgown without looking at Astoria. She stood to head to the Loo, and on her way there, she intentionally bumped into Astoria's shoulder, easily jarring the girl out of her way. Ginny slammed the Loo door shut and turned on the water taps. As the water ran down her face, she couldn't be sure whether or not she'd cried. She just felt so alone.

_Tom, help me. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to tell Mum and Dad what I am now._

_**Ginny? Of course I'll help you. What do you mean by what you are now? Are you referring to your sorting?**_

_I don't know how it went so wrong, but I'm not supposed to be in Slytherin. I don't BELONG here._

_**The Sorting Hat is never wrong, sweet Ginny. But, if you're truly worried, you can talk it over with the Headmaster. I honestly do not think anything can be done to change your situation but perhaps it will help you to better embrace it. Your experience in Slytherin House, I think, will make you greater. No one can now call you another Weasley, can they? And people have even said that Slytherin was the greatest of the Hogwarts four.**_

_Slytherin was Dark, Tom! Witches and wizards from this house tend to go bad! I don't want that._

_**My sweet, Ginny. If only you knew how one of a kind you are. For the month and two days that I have known you, I know that your heart is pure and light. Slytherin will not take that away from you; rather it will more than likely teach you to hone it and harness it to its utmost potential. You will make your parents proud. Remember, they love you.**_

_I know—but Fred, George, Ron! And Harry?_

_**They will love you still.**_

_My housemates hate me. They call me blood traitor, Tom._

_**Can I **__**truly**__** confide in you, my sweet Ginny? I do not want to alarm you.**_

_You can always trust me, Tom. You've been really great to me._

_**I was also a Slytherin.**_

_But you never told me. Why?_

_**Please don't be angry. It's just—well, a stigma surrounds Slytherin house. You yourself said that witches and wizards go bad there. My past experience in Slytherin, I think, will be similar to your future experience.**_

_How?_

_**I, a half-blood as you know, was not liked by my house. I was shunned, hexed, overlooked, and constantly bullied up until my fourth year. It took me years to learn how to truly survive in Slytherin house.**_

_Tell me._

_**You have a kind heart, sweet Ginny. What you will need to survive our house will require a hardened heart.**_

_So I should be cold, is that it?_

_**You should guard your heart and be careful about those you are willing to let in. People can hurt you—but only if you let them. Most in our house will seek to use you in a constant game for power that is played throughout all of our lives, even by Gryffindors, too.**_

_Power is not everything, Tom. Love—_

Before Ginny could finish writing her sentence, Tom's scrawl stopped her.

—_**is a power within itself that can override the senses, and at times, impair one's sense of what is good and bad or right and wrong. You will find that life is a constant struggle for power and several means are used to get it, be it love, kindness, cruelty, or deception. You could also be used as a means toward someone else's end, Ginny.**_

_Tom, love is beautiful and—_

_**Yes, it is. But it can also be a power that is terrible. People will use it (and other means) either to help or to hurt you—but they can only do what you let them. You must see people for who they are. You must see their desires, their needs—and you must choose for yourself—**_

_That's selfish—_

_**Only you control how far you allow your wants and needs to overshadow others, Ginny. But you always must choose for yourself—that is, if you truly want to be great. Greatness requires a certain predisposition to dominate all others to a certain degree, and if you truly seek to survive this world, least of all Slytherin House, then you must embrace this aspect of human nature and embrace this part of yourself, a part that is in us all.**_

_That sounds so cruel, Tom._

_**Only if you take it to such a dark place, but you do have a choice. Beware of those you call friend, when perhaps they are allies or enemies. You are too special, Ginny. I do not want to see you hurt.**_

_Maybe you're right. I really do want to prove that I'm more than what I seem. I want to show them all._

_**And you will by excelling academically, for knowledge is the greatest power. In order to do that, you must get adequate sleep.**_

_Bollocks, it's after midnight!_

_**Yes, sleep well, Ginny—and do not be troubled about your family and Harry. They'll love you—you'll see.**_

_Thank you, Tom. I'm glad you're here. You're so amazing. I don't feel quite as alone when I'm writing to you. Thank you for being my one and only friend. Goodnight._

_**Good night.**_

Ginny shut the leather bound diary—a gift that had either been from her father or Harry she hoped—and placed the book under her pillow for safekeeping. As Ginny stared up into the stone ceiling that was tinted green, she ignored Astoria's soft snores and thought more about what Tom had said. Maybe he _did_ have a point. She should think more of herself. Doing that wouldn't make her inherently selfish; it would just make her all the more true to herself. Even Tom had said she would have a choice in everything that she did and her parents had always said that she was the most gentle, the most compassionate, out of all her brothers.

Ginny sighed, thinking that she was crazy to think that her family would ever turn their back on her because of Slytherin house. Tom was right: They loved her. They knew her better than everyone. As she closed her eyes and remembered the twin's as they waved her over to their table back in the Great Hall, Ginny couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. Her family still wanted her around and would love her all the same.

That was her last coherent thought before she thought no more.

**WARNING: Chapters will be LONG and they will focus more on Ginny's transition to the Dark (and her struggle to be Light) and how both shape her future. The beginning of this story will be VERY slow. 70% to 75% of this story should be canon compatible.**

**PLEASE REVIEW**


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you _BekaRoo_, _Red_ _Writer_, and _Savannah_ _Roux_ for reviewing.

**Chapter 2—Losing Myself **

The week had begun very slowly for Ginny, but once it had started, there was no turning back. Ginny had awakened, expecting to see red and gold drapes hanging around her four-poster bed; instead, she saw green and silver. It took her two minutes to stop hyperventilating before she remembered. _I'm a Slytherin now_. Once again, queasiness flooded her stomach. Ginny shook her head and stood from her bed, walking over to her bureau of clothes. She grabbed her hand-me-down robes, shirt, jeans, and undergarments before heading for the Loo to shower.

It was then she remembered that she hadn't written her parents as promised; she hadn't told them about the sorting. Ginny wanted to pull out her flaming red hair for forgetting but she figured Ron would have told them everything by now. That was when she remembered that she hadn't seen Ron at the feast last night or Harry. Where had they been?

Ginny thought no more about it as she got out of the shower and changed, using a Drying Spell on her hair before brushing it once. Then she left the Loo, only to see Astoria still asleep. A vindictive part of her wanted the girl to miss their first class this morning, but Ginny knew that her parents had not taught her to be mean to others. After shaking Astoria awake, Ginny quickly left the room and headed down the stairs. She went through the commons (thankfully unharmed) and then to the Great Hall, where she paused outside before entering.

As she took a left to go to her table, however, Ginny felt someone grab her right elbow and steer her to the right. Upon looking up, she saw the Golden Trio. Ron looked so mad at her.

"You _know_," Ginny said so quietly and shakily, not even recognizing her own voice. She'd never seen so much rage on Ron's face before; it scared her.

"Of course I know," He said a bit loudly, dropping her at the end of Gryffindor's table before sitting himself.

"How could you do this?" Ron yelled.

"Ron, you shouldn't blame her." Hermione began.

"Why?" Ron snapped at Hermione, cutting her off. "It's her fault."

Ginny wanted to run out of the Great Hall and cry. _He blames me for this and he's right_, she thought to herself. "Ron, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get sorted there—I really didn't. It just happened—and I don't think anything can be done to fix it." Ginny said, seeing Ron shake his head at her. "Ron, be realistic. I really am sorry. I _never_ wanted this."

There was silence before Hermione ended it. "So…do you like your house?"

A bitter, dry laugh escaped Ginny that made the trio all share a look before frowning at her. "I'll be lucky to survive this year alone. I've been thinking and maybe there's another school I can go to."

"Mum and Dad would never allow it, Ginnikins." Fred said, seating himself across the table from them with George.

"Yeah, they want us all close to be a family." George finished, using their mother's tone of voice.

Ginny offered them a small smile. "I hate that house. Some call me Weasley; others call me blood traitor. Malfoy's going to make life a living hell for me. I might be able to convince them to transfer me out of here all together."

"What's a blood traitor?" Harry asked _her_, frowning at Ginny in confusion. She couldn't answer him. The only reason she'd spoken so much around him was because she hadn't really focused on Harry, her obsession.

"It's what pureblood manias call those purebloods who believe in rights for anyone who's not a pureblood." Fred explained quickly, winking afterward at Harry, who was still trying to understand what Fred had said. Then, Harry nodded before giving Ginny a pitying look. She looked at Ron instead, but she couldn't stop blushing for a minute afterward.

"Why'd you have to go and get yourself sorted in Slytherin anyway?" Ron asked, and this time, Ginny felt anger.

"Shut up, Ronnikins." George said fiercely, holding his hand out for Ginny to place her small hand in his. "You're still a Weasley. You're still our sister and we still love you." George said _seriously_, nodding at her afterward.

Ginny beamed widely at him before looking at Fred. "You're still our favorite brat." Fred added.

Ginny fought tears but nodded at them and said, "Thanks." The twins were now standing up to leave.

"You leave her alone, Ron." George said, glaring at their younger brother.

"Or you answer to us." Fred finished, and together, they walked away.

"Look, I'm not really mad at you," Ron said quietly, looking at Ginny with some hurt and confusion. "I just don't get it, all right. It's just a…awful mistake. You never know, maybe Mum and Dad _can_ fix it."

"And if they can't?" Ginny asked, seeing Ron falter a bit. "What then, Ron?"

Ron sighed before nodding at her. "You're still an over-talkative brat who happens to be my favorite sister." He said with a shrug but he wasn't smiling.

"As usual, you have no tact at all. I'm your _only_ sister." Ginny said, beaming at Ron before elbowing him in the ribs. Ron had never been very emotional, even when they were kids. Ginny knew it was his way of saying that he still cared for her. "And where were you during my sorting? You, too, Harry?" Ginny asked Harry without looking at him.

Ron blushed embarrassedly. Ginny narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. "What did you do?" She asked slowly.

Ron and Harry both looked guilty. Harry quietly answered, "We flew your father's car to school last night."

Ginny wanted to rage and call them idiots but she knew that would help nothing, nor would it change what they'd already done. Instead, she gave each a cold glare that made them both look away.

"Before acting, you should always consider the consequences of your actions, not only for yourself but for others, too." Ginny said, remembering exactly what Tom had told her after he'd supported a punishment that her mother had given her a month ago for being rash. The trio looked at her with wide eyes and Hermione was watching her calculatingly. "If you were seen; if you'd hurt someone; if you'd exposed our world; if you'd hurt yourself, then how could that have possibly been reasonable or beneficial? It's time to start thinking like men before acting without thought, like boys."

Once Ginny had finished, she stood and looked down at Ron mostly but briefly at Harry, too. If she would have looked at herself, then she would have seen what she looked like at that moment, a Slytherin. Her eyes held no warmth and no leniency or understanding for the situation at all. Harry had thought her expression was very close to how Snape's had been last night. Ron was thinking the exact same thing and was wondering when Ginny had changed. He'd known her for all of his life and knew how she was when angered. She was like Mum: All fiery rage and shouting, not cold and calm. Hermione thought Ginny truly belonged in Slytherin; she would have to watch her (or watch out for her) from now on.

"You don't know what happened." Ron said defensively. Ginny's gaze became colder, silencing Ron.

Harry spoke. "The barrier to 9¾ just…closed; it wouldn't let us through. We panicked and did the only thing we thought we could do."

Ginny thought a bit before saying, "Why not just wait for Mum and Dad to return for the car?" Ginny asked them thoughtfully, still standing to leave. "After all that Dad had done to it, did you _really _think he'd just leave it at Kings Cross? If you had waited for them to return, then they could have rightly handled the situation. You two could've owled Hogwarts or _someone_, perhaps Professor McGonagall or even the Headmaster. Hedwig was there with you—I'm sure she could have found a way onto the platform and fast, too. She could've alerted Mum and Dad, who would've dropped everything to start looking for you both." Ginny said, seeing Ron and Harry look even guiltier. She didn't notice the figure behind her at that moment. "Taking that car was wrong and very stupid. Your behavior affects not only yourself but others. Think from now on and you just wait till Mum gets her hands on you, Ron. You're very lucky we're at school."

"Miss. Weasley," said a voice she knew didn't belong to Professor McGonagall. Ginny's reaction to that cold, cultured voice was not the typical reaction of a first year and that stunned the trio and rather secretly impressed Professor Snape, who'd never admit that to anyone other than himself. The girl kept her stance and only turned her head to face him; she almost regarded him with coolly and this alone nearly made him chide her for her insolence. Then, her posture straightened; it became demure-like. Yet her eyes, while very respectful, had a faint shade of calculation in their depths that was barely perceivable.

_Interesting_, Snape thought before continuing, "Your sojourn here at this…table," He said with distaste, looking at the trio and their Gryffindor attire, "has lasted long enough. You are to return to your house, you impudent girl. I did not appreciate having to scour the hall for you when I was handing out time-tables. You remain at your house, is that understood?"

Hermione was about to say that _Hogwarts, A History_ did not mention that sitting at another House's table violated any school rules but Ginny interrupted her, saying, "Yes, sir. Sorry."

Snape quickly handed her the time-table with a cold glower and turned around to leave. He knew Weasley was wise enough to follow him. Ginny turned as she walked behind the man, sending a small grateful smile at Hermione. She knew the girl was going to defend her to Snape but Ron, Fred, and George had told her how extremely unfair the man was. She didn't want Hermione to lose her house any points but she did want her to know that she appreciated her trying all the same.

"Sit," Snape said sharply and Ginny did not hesitate to obey. She looked up at him, seeing that he was looking down at her time-table rather than at her. "I see that your first lesson of the year is with me. There will be…_consequences_," He said 'consequences' with an emphasis, "should your performance in my class or any other class for that matter bring shame upon _this _House. Do you understand, girl?"

The man was now bearing down on her like a black bat out of hell and in front of everyone, too. She could hear her housemates snickering and talking to one another. One even said, "Look at the blood traitor finally getting hers." Ginny met the Professor's eyes; this time, her gaze was challenging.

"Perfectly, sir." Ginny said without sarcasm, knowing that her voice could not be anything but respectful; after all, Tom and her mother wouldn't want her to be rude to a Hogwarts professor.

Snape sneered down at her before walking back up the aisle toward the Staff table. As he took his seat once again, he saw the Weasley girl shaking her head at her brothers from across the hall. He had angered them, when his intent had been to infuriate the girl instead. _She was different_ but still a Weasley; he could still see some Gryffindor in her eyes. _It was her innocence_, Snape realized, as he watched the Greengrass girl say something to Weasley that made her give Greengrass a small smile. Weasley had a Gryffindor's innocence and outlook on the world. He wondered what would become of Weasley should she ever lose that perception on life.

"She is _your _student, Severus." McGonagall said from his left, giving him a stern look. "You should treat her fairly as such."

"Severus would never abuse one of his, Minerva." Dumbledore said; that infuriating twinkle was in the old man's eye.

"I cannot say if she truly_ is_ one of mine," Snape said, looking at them before his gaze switched to the flaming redhead at _his _table. "I assume Dumbledore told you of her parents and how they wrote him, begging for a re-sorting." He spat, thinking the elder Weasleys knew better than to ask for such foolishness.

Minerva sighed. "Even I cannot understand it myself. She does not seem to have what it takes to be a Slytherin. Severus, you must watch out for her there; she's too nice, too…"

"Innocent," he offered, seeing Minerva nod before saying, "What do you think, Albus?"

"I trust that Severus will ensure the girl's welfare." Dumbledore said and the way he said it made Snape want to sneer. "I worry about her parents, however. Arthur will be fine, I think. Molly, on the other hand, will need more time. Ginny will need them to bear this…unexpected turn of events."

Meanwhile, at the Slytherin table, Ginny was silently fuming to herself about what Snape had said to her. Out of all the Slytherins, he'd chosen to tell _her_ in front of everyone not to shame his house. It was the way he'd said it that made her understand that he thought she didn't belong there. _Well,_ Ginny thought to herself, _he's right about that._ He'd told her outright that she wasn't good enough to be there, but Ginny would show him and the others that she was far greater than them all.

Ginny eyed the Gryffindor table, seeing Hermione trying to calm down the twins and Ron. Harry was glaring at Snape. When Ron, Fred, and George looked her way, Ginny shook her head at them, telling them to drop it. She didn't want any of them getting into trouble. Snape had tried to bait her in front of everyone but failed. Tom had said that she wasn't to argue with Professors and her mother had told her the exact same thing.

It was at that moment when the owls came. "Mail." Ginny said quietly. Astoria frowned at her before Ginny added, "My parents."

For a moment, Ginny thought she saw a shade of pity in Astoria's eye but that look quickly faded. Ginny reached for Errol and untied the parchment from his leg.

_Dear Ginny,_

_After talking extensively with Headmaster Dumbledore last night over the Floo connection—well, there's nothing we can do, sweetheart._ _We are very sorry. _(That's Dad, Ginny noticed. The letter was in his writing and only Dad called her sweetheart. To Mum, Ginny was always 'dear' or 'my baby.')_ Your mother and I were wondering, are your housemates being nice to you? Of course they aren't, your mother says._ _Ignore them, sweetie, and remember to treat people the way your mother and I taught you to. Also, do not worry about being in Slytherin, Ginny. Remember that we love you regardless. You're still our little girl. Stay kind, honest, and true. Your mother and I both believe in you. We've raised you all, I think, extremely well. That's why we have faith in you and your brothers and the choices (including mistakes) that you all will inevitably make. We love you, sweetheart, and can't wait till summer to see you. Remember, we're visiting Bill for Christmas._

_Love,_

_Dad and Mum_

_P.S. Help Percy keep an eye on Ron and Harry, wouldn't you?_ (That's Mum's handwriting, Ginny thought to herself). _There's enough on his plate with studying, the twins, and now those two. By now, I assume they've told you about the situation with the car. I'm afraid, at the rate they're going, that they'll soon be expelled. Keep them in line, dear._

_I love you,_

_Mum_

"Your parents _are_ understanding," Astoria said softly, not hiding the fact that she'd been reading Ginny's letter.

Ginny gave her a small smile. "Of course they're understanding. They're the best."

Ginny began gathering food for breakfast, ignoring the glares of her housemates—especially Malfoy. Tom had been right after all. Ginny wanted to head back to the dungeons to tell Tom how well her family had taken the news but she thought better of it. Yes, Ginny would have liked hearing more directly from her Mum but there was no doubt in Ginny's mind that she still loved her only daughter.

In no time, they were in their first class of the day—Potions. Ginny sat in the middle of the class and noticed that smoke from the cauldrons could make seeing the blackboard with instructions more difficult. Astoria sat next to Ginny in potions and was squinting at the board. Ginny heard Astoria sigh and watched the girl reach for toadstool.

"No," Ginny said abruptly, firmly grabbing Astoria's left wrist to stop the girl from adding the ingredient. "It's the roots, then the toadstool."

Astoria shot her a glare out of the corner of her eye but nodded at her a moment later; that happened after Snape walked past their table. If Ginny hadn't stopped her, then she would have been the first student of both the Gryffindors and the Slytherins to botch their potion. Ginny smiled to herself as she focused yet again on the instructions. _At least this blood traitor can brew a simple burning salve_, Ginny thought to herself. She wished Snape could've seen what she'd just done. After bottling the potion and taking hers to the professor, he thoroughly scrutinized it before his mouth curled, saying that the texture wasn't supposed to be so thin. Ginny replied "yes, sir" before turning around and leaving Potions.

Astoria was by her side immediately afterward. "Thanks for what you did back there. I can't believe I nearly screwed myself over for the next six years and all because of a simple burning salve, too. Professor Snape would've never let me live that down."

As they headed to Transfiguration, Ginny replied, "Stick around me, Greengrass. I'll try my best to help you with your potions."

Astoria looked at her calculatingly, before smirking. "Deal."

* * *

Ginny was now in the library. She'd decided to skip lunch and begin some research. Snape and McGonagall had already set them an essay. Ginny would do those later, though. Right now, she wanted to learn some basic spell casting that would help her against Malfoy. He said he'd break her and Ginny didn't take threats lightly. The Hogwarts library was huge. Ginny felt overwhelmed by the sight of all those books. _Where to begin? _She wondered aloud.

"Here," said a voice from behind her that sounded disapproving. "I guess you've already lost your copy of this; it happens every year." The woman, a librarian said, handing Ginny _a Standard Book of Spells, Year 1_.

Ginny briefly flipped through the book. Afterward, she looked back up at the tall librarian. "Thank you." She said distractedly, choosing to walk to a deserted table and begin reading.

Ginny began to chastise herself. She'd had this same book for a month and hadn't attempted to read it. Ginny sighed, knowing she'd spent most of her time in August writing to Tom. _Oh, well. It's not like Mum and Dad would've let me do magic before school anyway_. She used the hour lunch to read the first section of the book: Charms.

Ginny found that most of the spells were simple. That had surprised her—especially after hearing Ron whining over the summer about the difficulty of first year. By the end of her lunch hour, Ginny had mastered eight spells and looked forward to trying more tonight. On her way out of the library, she saw a book titled _Practical Defensive Magic for Beginners_. She checked it out and made a point of returning the first book that Madam Pince had given her. The woman gave Ginny a suspicious look before watching her leave for Charms.

Most of Ginny's first day went well, except for dinner. There was a truce between Astoria and Ginny; that, however, still wasn't enough to stop the girl from being such a pest.

"After we left for classes, your brother got an owl from your parents." Astoria said snootily. "Your father's facing an inquiry at work, you know? All over that flying car."

"Well, her family couldn't afford for daddy to lose his job, right Weasley?" asked a girl Ginny now knew to be Parkinson.

Ginny sipped from her goblet before adding, "And it looks like you can't afford to gain any extra weight, now can you, Parkinson? We've all noticed how disgustingly tight those robes of yours are becoming, you cow." Ginny said, smirking afterward at the girl who was gaping at her.

"You bitch!" Parkinson spat, drawing her wand on Ginny who looked impassive. Ginny noticed how none of the others rose to Pansy's defense; in fact, they laughed at her, including Malfoy. _Was there any loyalty in this house?_

"Such irony." Ginny began blandly, seeing every Slytherin at the table listening. Ginny _liked_ the attention and so she looked Pansy directly in the eye, continuing, "Especially coming from such a fat bitch." Ginny finished with a viciousness that made their table laugh loudly.

The entire hall was looking at them now. Pansy stood in fury, although Ginny thought the girl's eyes were a bit wet. Parkinson ran from the Great Hall. Ginny didn't spare her a look. _She had it coming,_ Ginny thought to herself. _She should've left my family out of her pettiness against me_.

Soon afterward, Ginny finished eating. She read during their hour and a half dinner (depending on when one decided to arrive). Underneath the table, she practiced wand movements. Since lunch, she'd learned three new spells. By the night, she planned to learn five more at the least.

Dinner ended quickly, and before Ginny knew it, she was in her room reading her Year 1 book again. Ginny was trying to teach Astoria the levitation charm, a spell they hadn't yet learned in Charms. Astoria saw Ginny doing the spell in their room and so she'd sat on Ginny's bed, ordering Ginny to show her how to do it.

Ginny glared at Astoria, who later rolled her eyes. "Fine, please, show me."

After correcting Astoria's wand movement, their room door suddenly burst open. She saw that it was Malfoy, who was glaring at both Ginny and Astoria. Greengrass, Ginny noticed, quickly stood and walked over to her own bed, pulling the drapes around her bed closed. Ginny's gaze never left Malfoy's throughout it all.

"What?" Ginny snapped, seeing his lip tighten in fury at her blatant disrespect.

"You think I fear you, Weasley?" Draco sneered, drawing his wand on her. "You think embarrassing a witch far more superior than yourself makes you any better than the blood traitor garbage that you are? You aren't and never will be, you know."

"Parkinson embarrasses herself, you idiot." Ginny said softly, although her voice was cold. "And for your information, I am _far_ better than her. I am far greater than you, too."

Tension hung in the air between them. Ginny felt like the last sentence she'd said hadn't really been _her_ but she ignored it as she focused and readied herself. Sure enough, Malfoy struck first with a _Rictumsempra_. It missed and Ginny retaliated with a _Petrificus Totalus._ The spell struck Malfoy in the face; he toppled over and lay on her floor just as stiff as a board. Ginny walked over to Draco, leveling her wand down at him as he glared daggers straight up at her. Ginny squatted down beside him and placed her wand underneath his pointy chin.

"I see you for what you are. Let me tell you about yourself." Ginny said coldly, feeling an _urge_ to truly hurt him, too. She didn't know where this feeling was coming from but part of her felt thrilled. "You are weak. Like daddy, you will never outlive your father's shadow. The only thing you have to offer our world is your money. You—are—nothing."

Upon standing, Ginny felt light-headed. The world was spinning before it immediately came back into focus. Ginny dragged Malfoy out of the room by the feet, leaving him right outside of their room door. When she reentered the room, Astoria seemed impressed.

"You're just going to leave him there?" She asked, sounding afraid.

Ginny shrugged. "Why not? Let him be someone else's problem." She finished, walking over to her bed and grabbing the diary to tell Tom all about her day.

"B-but what if he awakes? He'll come back." Astoria said. Ginny rolled her eyes, standing to head to the door.

She herself had forgotten to place a locking charm on the door. "He won't be getting in here again tonight." Ginny said, seeing Astoria look relieved before grabbing her things to take a shower.

Once she headed to the Loo, Ginny began writing to Tom. They talked for a little over half an hour. He'd said that Ginny had proven how she wasn't weak today. Tom told her to never let anyone see her weak, for it would be exploited. He was proud of her when she'd told him what she recalled telling Harry and Ron at breakfast this morning. Ginny found it odd how she could remember lecturing them on what they could have done, but she couldn't word-for-word remember what she'd told them before then.

Tom told her not to worry; that she was simply overwhelmed by her first day back. Ginny realized that he was right and told him that she needed to start her essays. Tom had said that he'd missed her for the day and that he'd help her with her homework. Ginny therefore stayed up to two-thirty in the morning, finishing her Transfiguration and Potions essay with Tom's help. He was brilliant and she told him so, too. At the moment, he was her one trusted friend and Ginny would never let him forget that.

The knowledge Tom would give. Reading his words was like reading a textbook. One couldn't help but be enthralled by him. Potions was his favorite and so he began recommending books for her to read in the library, telling her that she'd need them to be as powerful as she wanted to be one day. He already expected her to read _Formulations_ _and Techniques, _a book on potions that he'd told her about on Sunday. In fact, Tom made out a list of books for Ginny to read from his memory.

Ginny told him that he was brilliant but Tom didn't think so. He told her that it was simply knowing _how_ to think and that he would teach her how to do that. Ginny went to sleep that night with a wide smile on her face.

Her last thought before going to sleep was that she was lucky to have Tom.

* * *

(**Late October**)

Ginny, so far, found everything at Hogwarts to be amazing but she noticed that she had no one to really _share_ this experience with, except for Tom. Her brothers had lives of their own: Percy had his studies and surprisingly a girlfriend that he didn't want the twins to know about; Fred and George had each other and their pranks; Ron had Harry and Hermione, who were in a world of their own. All of them were Gryffindors and they were older; they didn't want to be seen with her, the Slytherin loner, although they talked to her occasionally.

Ginny was a loner now.

Astoria could not be called a friend; she was an ally who filled Ginny's mind with mindless chatter but Ginny was not fooled by Greengrass. The girl wouldn't give her the time of day if Ginny wasn't so smart. Ginny was lower in the Slytherin hierarchy and so she could never be her friend. At dinner, when Astoria talked to Ginny in front of their housemates, she made sure to cleverly mention topics that related to wealth and she even mentioned blood traitors a few times. By now, Ginny knew the girl had a thing for Malfoy and so she didn't want to appear to like Ginny.

Ginny knew Astoria didn't really like her, but as long as Ginny was useful, she would remain close to her. Ginny just liked having _someone physically_ around her. The closest she got to Tom was holding his diary. Contact with anyone else was awkward and out of the question. Ginny read in the library during every lunch hour; she was the last to leave the library before curfew. Before Hogwarts, Ginny was never truly a reader. She found herself picking up book after book, devouring each for what they had to offer her. She'd come across something and would immediately think of a question to ask Tom. She could no longer wait to go back to her room for the diary. She now carried it with her everywhere she went. Tom was always on her mind and he kept his promise to teach her how to think. Tom told her that Ginny's level of understanding was impressive and quickly improving. Ginny knew he liked teaching her; he was the best teacher so far that she'd ever had.

"All you _do _is read." Astoria said one night, as she scrutinized Ginny from her bed. "You stayed up all last night reading and writing—I saw you. I think you've gone mad."

Ginny focused on finishing up her readings on various potion theories instead. Ginny's new favorite subject was Potions; Tom said she had a lot of promise and that she was a natural at the art.

"I know you heard me, Weasley." Astoria snapped. Again, Ginny ignored her.

The door to their room suddenly opened and Ginny didn't need to look up from her book to see that it was Malfoy. He visited every night to bully her. Ginny would try to give as good as she got, but Malfoy was just a bit quicker than her sometimes.

"Ignoring your betters, I see." Malfoy said, shutting the door behind him. "What are you, deaf? Look at me, blood traitor."

Ginny did not. Draco shared a furious glance with Astoria who said, "She's been acting like a freak for the past two weeks and it's scaring me. All she does is read and she barely eats. She's not only a danger to me but to us all."

Meanwhile, Ginny was having problems focusing. She could only decipher one emotion within her; it was potently vicious with a latent desire to truly cause pain. _Raw anger_, Ginny realized. It was hers but then it wasn't, too. Malfoy frowned at her before crossing the room to Ginny's bedside, snatching Ginny's book from her hand. _That_ made her look up at him and the look she'd given him made him step back. Ginny embraced the anger, instantly feeling better now that she was no longer trying to resist and understand its origins.

"Give it to me," Ginny hissed deadly, glaring at the boy.

"Her eyes—I swear they flashed red or something. You _are_ mad." Malfoy said somewhat frightfully but his gaze was still shrewd.

"_Accio _book." Ginny said coldly. Instantly, the book flew from Malfoy's hands and back to Ginny, who caught it.

The room silenced before Astoria asked, "H-how did she do that? We haven't learned how to do that."

"Neither have I," Malfoy said slowly, his voice sounded peculiar. "Where'd you learn that, Weasley?" He asked, but again, Ginny ignored him. Ginny was reading about Gamps separate theory on the Trans-morphing of Potion solutions.

Yet Ginny couldn't ignore the hands that gripped her shoulder and shook her hard. Before she knew what she'd really done, her wand was out and Malfoy was on the ground at her feet. Ginny's head tilted to the right, blinking down at him afterward in a bit of confusion. She knew why Malfoy had been in her room, but what had he said to her after he called her a blood traitor? Ginny looked up, seeing Astoria's mouth wide open in horror as she watched Ginny fearfully.

"What did you do?" Greengrass asked; her voice was shaky and sounded faint.

Ginny bent down and checked Malfoy out; she'd stunned him! Ginny gulped, knowing that her stunning wasn't yet strong enough to take down a person. She could stun cats (Millicent Bulstrodes's cat) but she hadn't tried stunning people.

Although Ginny knew she could levitate Malfoy out of their room, she didn't want Astoria knowing _all_ of what she could do. The more she tried, the more she was beginning to remember what she'd done. It was a faint memory, though. All Ginny knew was that she'd shown both Malfoy and Astoria too much, so she dragged Malfoy out of their room by his feet and deposited him outside their door. Afterward, Ginny slammed it closed.

"I only stunned him, that's all." Ginny said guardedly. "He'll be fine."

"You can't just leave him out there like that." Astoria said heatedly.

Ginny's head turned as she looked at the girl over her shoulder. Astoria thought she'd seen Weasley's eyes flash with something but she couldn't be sure; it seemed to be just a stirring of hate in Weasley's eyes but it was chilling and so it instantly silenced her.

"And why not?" Weasley asked, and Astoria noticed how lethally cold the girl's voice was. _Was it even her voice,_ Astoria wondered? _Eleven year olds couldn't talk like that._ "The weakling won't speak of it; he won't tell others how a blood traitorous girl stunned him. You won't either, will you, Astoria?" She finished charmingly.

And the predator-like smile on Weasley's face made Astoria gulp and nod vigorously. Weasley's head moved, as if she was angling herself to hear better. She even placed a hand up to her ear.

"I won't tell." Astoria said quickly.

The smirk on Weasley's face made Astoria tremble. Afterward, she watched Weasley turn and stare down at her bed almost confusedly. Astoria thought she stared blankly like that for five or ten seconds before moving to her bureau for pajamas. Once she walked past Astoria toward the Loo, their eyes met and Astoria saw the usual distrust in Weasley's eyes. Yet Weasley's eyes definitely weren't as harsh as they'd been about a minute ago. Ginny closed the door behind her and instantly slid to the floor; she was hyperventilating. _What's happening to me?_ She asked, struggling to breathe. _What's happening to me?_

It took a while for Ginny to control herself but she found that she could do it better when she wasn't thinking about the bits of time she was losing in a day. After she showered, Ginny took a moment to really look at herself in the mirror. She touched her chin, seeing that it was beginning to feel tight. Two and a half weeks of imbalanced meals—that is, if they could be called meals. Ginny was visibly frailer. Nowadays, she didn't even crave food.

Instead, she craved knowledge. _It was her power; it was the root of her greed_. Ginny liked learning but she didn't like looking weak. She would do better, starting tomorrow. Maybe she could convince the twins into telling her the whereabouts of the kitchen. She came back into their room, seeing that Astoria had drawn the drapes around her bed closed. Ginny thought nothing more of her, choosing to clean the mess of books and parchments that she had scattered on her bed and floor.

Ginny closed her eyes, hearing a voice she imagined to be Tom's. _Focus_, it said and she did. With a wave of her wand, the books zoomed towards the top of her bureau and began arranging themselves in the order of her choosing. Another wave and the parchments flew together, rolling afterwards until they all were one.

Ginny smiled and climbed into bed. Her smile widened as the same voice before told her _well done, Ginny._

* * *

Ginny now found herself sitting before Professor Snape. After their class, he'd told Ginny to report to him for "a talk" at 5pm. What Ginny had done, she didn't know. She hadn't destroyed any potions, but he'd barked at her in front of her classmates like she had. She wondered what the greasy-haired bat would have her do tonight. He was so unfair to her. Ginny hated him. He'd probably make her serve out the detention till the night's end. Ginny wouldn't even get to celebrate the Halloween feast with everyone else.

"Which seventh year was foolish enough to write your essay on the significance of moon phases in potion making, Weasley?" Snape asked sharply. Ginny found his black eyes to be almost captivating; she felt like she couldn't look away, even if she wanted to. "Answer me, girl. Now!"

"_I_ wrote that essay, sir. All of it."

Snape would have said the girl was lying but he could see that she wasn't; it was all there in her mind. She had done her research incredibly well and structured her paper brilliantly. Her work was a masterpiece; Snape thought he was reading a Potions Master's work from a scholarly journal, not an eleven year olds writing. Her work had inspired _him _with past ideas that he'd never properly experimented on. She wrote that essay; he knew that much now.

But was she truly a potions prodigy or simply a good student?

"And who helped you?" Snape asked Ginny, who wanted to throw a tantrum and rage at him _no one, you stupid man_. Ginny, however, wisely held her tongue.

"Madam Pince showed me where the books I'd need for the essay were. Other than that, sir, no one."

Again, the girl was telling the truth. He peered into the surface of her mind, but before he could reach where he wanted to be, Weasley had looked away.

"Am I in trouble, professor?" Ginny asked, knowing that he couldn't keep her here or punish her for something he couldn't prove. Ginny would demand him to prove his accusations. Tom had told her to read _Hogwarts, a History_ and Ginny was glad that she had, although it wasn't her favorite book like it was Tom's. Yet Ginny knew all of Hogwarts rules and so she knew Snape couldn't punish her. Let him try and Ginny would nicely go to the Headmaster.

"This evening, you will be brewing the Draught of Peace." Snape said, leaving the girl no room for argument as he stood from behind his desk in the classroom. "All that you need is behind you. Get started."

Ginny faltered, looking up at the Professor thoughtfully. So he knew she hadn't cheated. _How_? Ginny wondered. _And what does he gain by me brewing him a Draught of Peace? Snape would not ask if he didn't want something, but what does he want?_

"I can't, sir." Ginny lied and avoided meeting Snape's harsh stare. "I do not have the skill." Ginny lied again, knowing the admission was truly un-Slytherin like. Yet Ginny didn't want Snape knowing her true capabilities. She would show them all in _her _time, not his.

"You will make the potion or attempt to do as such." Snape said glacially.

Ginny faked fear as she walked over to the cauldron shyly with a slight tremor. The man loved fear; he was a black leech who thrived off of terrorizing his students. She began brewing and loved the overwhelming sense of complacency that filled her. Snape watched Weasley closely, noticing how much she had changed in disposition since he'd first spoken to her over a month and a half ago. _Her eyes are different,_ he thought. Her eyes were shadowed; that shadow seemed to be snuffing out the girl's inner warmth by each growing second. Although Severus had never promised Dumbledore that he would ensure the girl's welfare, he still took the well-being of his students very seriously. Weasley simply did not look well; even that pompous brother of hers had noticed how pale the girl looked. After all, he'd forced her to take Pepper Up potion. Something was happening to the girl; he just didn't know what exactly.

Ginny found herself losing focus halfway through the potion. A wave of exhaustion was building within her; it existed everywhere in her body. She just wanted to sleep and to be anywhere other than there. Snape, however, wouldn't let her leave. Staying in the moment was becoming increasingly harder with each passing second. The exhaustion was overpowering her. That was when it happened. Ginny accidentally dropped the wrong ingredient in the potion and everything erupted around her. The force of the blast threw her back as if she was weightless and her head collided hard with something. She felt pain explode everywhere. Worst of all, she couldn't move.

"You imbecilic girl." Snape shouted, moving quickly to her side and checking her vitals with his wand. "Stay still. I shall return momentarily."

Ginny could hear his footsteps fading; honestly, at that moment, everything around her seemed to be fading. Her grasp on reality was becoming clouded and veiled; it frightened her. Yet that fear wasn't enough to stop whatever it was happening to her. Her pain wasn't enough to bring her back to reality. The veil was becoming thicker before her eyes; Ginny's head was pounding. She could feel the sick at the back of her throat rising.

Snape reentered the room, and again, rushed to the girl's side. He found her hyperventilating on the ground. After grabbing her chin and tilting it back, he found that her eyes were dilated. Snape gave Weasley a Replenishing Draught, a Muscle Relaxant, a stimulant, and a potion for the concussion that she had suffered; all of them would allow her to reach her room alone tonight. Yet, after three minutes, the girl's eyes were still out of focus. Her mishap with this potion hadn't been significant enough to affect her (or anyone for that matter) like this. Severus knew he would have to take her to Poppy.

"Weasley," Snape said sharply. The girl's eyes were closing and so he shook her but she remained unresponsive. He knew that shaking her had to be a painful thing in itself to endure but the girl didn't seem to register anything around her. "Weasley, stay awake."

Ginny's eyes were feeling heavier. Her vision was so black now, but even she recognized her most hated professor's eyes.

"Sir." Ginny said faintly. It was the last thing she'd consciously said that night.

The pale-faced, fragile girl's eyes closed. Severus swore and then conjured a stretcher for Weasley. Next, he levitated her out of his classroom and through the dark dungeons. Most students were in the Great Hall (or were running toward the place) for the Halloween feast. As Severus entered the hospital wing with Weasley floating behind him, he saw how empty the infirmary was. Undoubtedly, the monsters had convinced the matron to release them early for that ridiculous celebration. Snape had never like Halloween; he hated it even more after he lost Lily.

"Severus," Poppy said surprisingly, walking down the aisle toward him. She leaned to his right in order to see Weasley on the stretcher behind him. "Put her here. What happened?" Poppy asked, moving her wand over the girl's body. She was performing the exact same diagnostic spells that he himself already had.

"There was an accident while she was brewing the Draught of Peace." Snape answered bluntly.

Before he could continue, Poppy stopped him with that fierce glare of hers. "That's almost a sixth year potion, Severus. What were you thinking endangering her like that? I have a mind to tell Albus."

"I believed her…capable." He said harshly, glaring down at Weasley. "Clearly, she is incompetent."

The matron stared at him over her shoulder, surveying him coldly. "I daresay that she is not the only one who's incompetent, Professor."

Severus decided to hold his tongue. Already, he was chastising himself for letting Weasley get anywhere near those ingredients. The girl had told him she could not do it but he'd been so sure. The notion of teaching a student with a natural talent for the art of potion-making had made him lose reason and Weasley had paid for his error.

"I've checked her vitals. Whatever this is, it's not a result of the potion." Poppy said, confirming his suspicions and continuing. "She's anemic—I don't understand it. Molly would _know_ something like this about her own daughter and yet she didn't mention anything about anemia in the letter she sent about Ginny's past medical history—and, yes, she does that for _all _ofher children, Severus. It's not required, of course, but it's good to have around just in case something happens. Her anemia is severe. How she's lasted this long is…remarkable."

"I have potions for this." Severus said thoughtfully, looking down at the unconscious girl in deep thought.

"I'm going to need them." The matron said, looking away from the girl to meet his gaze. "I'll take good care of her." She said, dismissing him.

Snape gave her a cold look, holding back the sneer he wanted to unleash. "I want a report on her state soon." He said, departing the infirmary without so much as a backward glance.

The girl was a Weasley; she, however, was still his student. That was the last thought he spared the Weasley brat before heading to that wretched Halloween feast.

* * *

Ginny sat in the tub, not really registering the shower water that was cascading down her body. She just felt cold; she was cold all over. Ginny knew it wasn't because the water; it was really hot. It was something _within _her that was becoming ice, growing increasingly colder. The chill was all she could feel for the past two hours—that and the fear.

She'd woken up this morning to find herself curled up in a broom cupboard on the first floor. Ginny's robes had been torn; the inside of them were lined with feathers and blood. She knew _exactly_ where they'd come from. She'd visited Hagrid's enough this year to know his own rooster. Ginny liked the half giant's company. Hagrid was kind and compassionate. He _really_ listened to her and was one of the few people who took her seriously. Yes, Ginny also hoped she could talk to Ron, Harry, and Hermione there without everyone in the Great Hall looking at her funny. Yet, being around the half-giant made her feel like a Gryffindor, like Ginny belonged.

She'd helped Hagrid feed those roosters, just as she'd helped him grow his pumpkins so large. She'd killed a friend's pet, and since Ginny didn't think of herself as stupid, then she thought that it was _her_ who'd written _The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir beware_ on the wall in blood.

Ginny couldn't even remember what had happened that night. It took her an hour just to remember the explosion she'd caused in Professor Snape's classroom with the Draught of Peace, but after that, Ginny could remember nothing else. She didn't even know how she'd ended up in that broom cupboard. She'd just came to and found herself in bloody robes that were infested with feathers.

Somehow, she knew she'd hurt Mrs. Norris and wrote those words on the wall. _But how?_ She wondered. _How am I doing things that I can't even remember?_

Ginny thought that she should tell someone about her suspicions, but what if someone was framing her to get her expelled? _What if they really expel me_, Ginny thought. She was panicked by the mere thought of leaving Hogwarts forever? _No_, Ginny said to herself. _I'll handle this myself._ Ginny lay under the water, using every fiber of her being to focus on what she was truly feeling at the moment. It should have been something that was entirely natural to her, and yet, Ginny couldn't go far beyond the overwhelming numbness and cold. There were undercurrents of fear, but the fear wasn't consistent in its presence. The fear felt like _her_; it was familiar. Yet the cold and ever growing detachment was so embedded within her that it seemed natural.

It was becoming more and more natural with each day.

Ginny didn't care as much that her family, Harry, and Hermione ignored her; she no longer cared about practicing certain vicious spells on owls, cats, and a few toads. She enjoyed going overboard in her revenge against Malfoy, because it pleased her to see his fear. Ginny liked threatening Astoria because it made her feel more powerful than the beautiful, arrogant girl who knew she was Ginny's superior. Ginny _knew_ it was wrong but she could not find it within herself to care _enough_.

_You care out of duty, _a voice that sounded like her whispered in her mind. _Caring impedes your happiness, your desires, your wants._

Tom had been right: Choosing for one's self was good. It certainly felt good.

Yet this lack of control over _herself_;this murdering of roosters and fatally harming cats was not something that Ginny ever imagined was for the _good of herself_. She hated it. _What is happening to me? _

Ginny would have to do research before asking Tom; he now liked for her to find her own answers now before asking him. Ginny stepped out of the shower and dried herself and her hair. As Weasley came out of the Loo, Astoria watched the girl crawl underneath the sheets of her bed. The redhead pulled out a leather-bound black book, but rather than writing in it like Astoria thought she would, Weasley held it closer to her and closed her eyes to sleep.

She closed her _red _eyes to sleep.

**Please review**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3—Identity **

Monday arrived too quickly for Ginny. She woke up that morning and showered, choosing to leave the room without waking Astoria. It was as she stepped down onto her last stair to enter the Slytherin commons when a Stinging Hex hit the right side of her neck. The hex was so powerful that it made Ginny stumble backward and almost completely lose her balance. She could've fallen but luck had saved her from serious injury; it had also spared her pride.

Ginny looked up to see Marcus Flint standing beside a burly sixth year Slytherin whose name Ginny had forgotten. Flint and the boy were looking at her blatantly. Flint had even dared to raise his offending wand and blow the tip of it, shrugging nonchalantly afterward. Ginny clenched her jaw as about twenty of her housemates laughed at what they'd just seen happen. Rage built within Ginny; it was natural and yet it was a foreign. The rage was powerful and nearly all consuming.

But Ginny's anger wasn't that of an indignant Gryffindor. As she looked around the commons and those who were guffawing stupidly at her misfortune, she calculated her odds against Flint and his most devoted follower, Warrington. Flint was older than her and therefore more experienced with a wand; oddly enough, that wasn't much of a deterrent for Ginny, who knew she could think fast and strike even faster. Attacking him in a common room full of her housemates, however, just wouldn't be a smart thing to do. Ginny decided on fixing the older boy with a glacial stare, warning him not to strike again. Flint raised his wand but quickly lowered it when a weedy second year boy stepped in front of Ginny, facing her directly.

The second year towered over Ginny, despite the fact that she was standing on a step. He had dark, chocolate brown eyes that would've been warm on anyone else's face; on him, however, they were cold and forever calculating. His hair was a dark brown, and in darker light, it looked almost black. Yet it was the look in his eyes that most captivated Ginny: it was a formidable, almost ripened awareness that was sharp and unrelenting. The moment their eyes met was the exact moment when Ginny felt a faint stir within her that she really didn't understand_. Did she like him or hate him?_ She certainly couldn't trust him, but something about him made Ginny want to be around him.

"Weasley," the boy said blandly; he sounded bored, like she'd imposed on him or something. _At least he didn't call me blood traitor,_ Ginny noticed. The boy continued, saying: "Professor Snape says I am to take you to him. Come."

Ginny kept her features blank but raised a red brow at the boy, whose eyes met hers again. They flashed with something that resembled amusement before he turned and walked to the common room exit. Ginny quickly followed him, hating how she had to practically use him as a shield as she power walked to get in front of him. Yet the boy did not seem bothered by Ginny's behavior; in fact, he subtly allowed her to move in front of him. Again, something faint stirred within her but Ginny couldn't tell what it was. It could have been gratitude; it could have been resentment.

They walked in silence to Snape's office. Ginny didn't know the boy's name, but she knew there was a part of her that _really_ wanted to speak with him. Yet she stared straight ahead of her, all the while feeling his eyes on her back. Oddly enough, Ginny didn't feel weird around this stranger. Their eyes had met for no more than ten seconds back in the commons, and yet during that time, Ginny felt like he had understood the most latent parts of her that she felt compelled to hide from others and herself—the only exception nowadays being Tom, of course.

Ginny couldn't stop herself from finally speaking to him. "Why did he ask to see me?" She asked, not bothering to look at the guy behind her.

"He did not say," the boy replied evenly, "—and I was not foolish enough to ask."

A chuckle escaped Ginny; it had surprised her, and afterward, she pretended to clear her throat before speaking to him again.

"You know my name; I don't know yours."

There was a long pause before the boy simply said, "It's Nott."

Ginny didn't know what else to say. She was grateful that he'd responded exactly when she arrived at Snape's classroom door. Ginny turned, finding the tall second year (Nott, Ginny reminded herself) standing directly before her. He looked down at her with a peculiar, almost curious gaze in his eyes; in fact, it looked like he was trying to solve the biggest puzzle in the world. Again, something faint stirred within Ginny, who knew she liked the intense way he looked into her eyes.

"I'm not foolish enough to keep our Head of House waiting." Ginny said softly, seeing Nott give a curt nod to her before taking a step back from her. Ginny noticed that it looked like he had to will himself one step at a time away from her.

"How wise of you," he said dryly, turning his tall, thin frame around to leave Ginny alone in the corridor. "Stay out of trouble, Weasley."

That was the last thing he'd said to her before walking away. Ginny's hand was on the door knob, poised to turn it so that she could finally enter Snape's class. Yet, she watched Nott's progress up the dungeon steps until she could see him no more. When he was finally out of sight, Ginny opened the door and finally entered Snape's class. Ginny had doubted that Snape would talk with her in his study; she'd thought as much back in the commons when Nott himself had come and got her. Still, she couldn't help but wonder exactly what the man wanted with her.

"At last," Snape said steely, his gaze looking at Ginny in distaste as she walked up the aisle to stand before him. Snape's gaze swept over her in a cavalier way (or so Ginny thought), before he finally spoke again. "Madam Pomfrey informed me that she had not released you from the infirmary last night, meaning that you took the liberty to leave of your own volition. What was the meaning of such behavior, girl?"

Ginny visibly stiffened; Severus immediately noticed it. She would not meet Severus's gaze long enough for him to Legilimize her. Yet, whenever her gaze did meet his for the briefest of moments, he wondered about the hollow void that seemed to shroud her very exhausted eyes. Clearly, the girl was not well; Severus, however, could not understand exactly what was ailing her, and for that, he was frustrated with the girl's uncooperativeness.

"Speak."

Anger swelled within Ginny, before she quickly thrust it down and replied, "I couldn't take it in there any longer. She just kept…hovering over me. I shouldn't have left, sir." Ginny lied.

Last night, she faintly remembered being in the Hospital Wing. The only thing that stood at the forefront of her memory was the pain she'd experienced, until finally, she'd felt no more pain for that evening. Right now, Ginny felt fine—well, her head didn't feel nearly as disoriented as it had been yesterday. She also noticed how her body was less tense than it had been all semester. Ginny didn't know exactly what Pomfrey had done, but she appreciated it. Ginny just didn't understand how she could leave without realizing what she was doing, or remembering it for that matter.

Severus, meanwhile, was still trying to catch the girl's gaze. Of late, he had noticed how _withdrawn_ and sedate Weasley looked around others. He remembered the first time they'd ever met, and unlike so many other flinching first years who avoided his gaze, she'd met his straight on. Severus now understood that the girl could not cope with being in his house; her depression affected her both physically and mentally. After dismissing her, Severus would immediately go talk to Albus and mention having her re-sorted. At the very least, he would be owling her parents. Albus was right: She needed them now more than ever. Weasley's parents, however, hadn't written the girl since September; that much he knew for a fact.

Severus finally remembered Weasley's response and said, "I will not be deducting points from my house on _your _behalf; instead, you will have detention here with me again tonight. I expect you no later than seven o'clock, Weasley. Go."

Ginny nodded, grateful that she'd only gotten a detention. She had a feeling like Marcus Flint and all the other Slytherins would never give her a moments peace if she ever lost Slytherin even half a point. Ginny sighed, choosing to make her way up the stairs to breakfast. She had a long morning ahead of her and an even longer night. She was going to need the food (and hopefully the strength it would give her) to make it through all of this.

* * *

It was six o'clock and Ginny was in the Great Hall listening to the sound of metal hitting against plates, and in some instances, beating against the table tops or clattering to the stone floor. She could hear chatter, whispers, and loud talking from every angle around her. She saw the ghosts and even glimpsed Peeves peak into the hall and leave afterward.

This is what they call _life_, Ginny thought torpidly. She finally put her fork down, knowing that she couldn't eat anymore for the evening. She hadn't eaten much at all, in fact. The flavors in the food did not immediately make sense to her after touching her tongue. Everything, from eating to drinking, was mechanical; it was something she had to do because she just was supposed to do it. Even before Hogwarts, Ginny had felt a lot like her life had been mechanical. She was to do things a certain way because she just had to, without truly understanding exactly why. She'd always hated that feeling, but lately, it had been becoming all the more intense.

Most of the time, Ginny just felt like there was no life in the world at all. If there was, she certainly was not living. She couldn't remember most of the things happening to her in the day, let alone carry on a conversation with someone else other than Tom. Tom, who had given her so much; he was everything to her, because without him, Ginny knew she'd be all alone. None of her brothers cared to talk to her: the twins had each other and Ron had Harry and Hermione. They all had lives. Ginny had one associate who wasn't even a passable ally: Astoria. _Why am I so alone_, Ginny wondered?

_Because I'm worthless._

The answer in her head made Ginny look down at her lap, feeling tears rise to her eyes instantly. Panic began to fill her: Ginny couldn't be doing this _now_ in front of the others—but the emotions that she was beginning to feel were overwhelming her. Instantly, she stood.

"Where are you going?" Astoria snapped bossily, making others around them snigger. "You haven't eaten a thing."

Ginny noticed how their house liked the way Astoria dealt with 'the blood traitor'; to Astoria, Ginny was to be watched and dictated to. That, however, was only in front of the house. Ginny allowed this front because, oddly enough, it _did_ shield her from others. Ginny had a feeling like the Greengrass's were only second to the Malfoys. They were better liked than the latter because of their influence amongst the other houses of Hogwarts. Astoria recognized her power as her birthright. She wisely chose to enact that power on Ginny and Ginny alone, earning her a lot of respect in Slytherin House because they didn't want another Malfoy or Parkinson. Ginny and Astoria had an understanding, but that didn't mean that Ginny wasn't tiring of this situation.

"Library." Ginny said quietly, walking away before Astoria could say anything else.

The moment Ginny exited the open double doors and walked to the right was the exact moment when she bumped into something (or someone), who nearly knocked her to the ground. Arms shot out and steadied her before she fell, making Ginny aware that those arms belonged to Ron.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Ron asked, frowning down at her. For once in his life, Harry and Hermione were absent from his side. "And…are you all right, Gin?"

Ginny nodded absentmindedly before saying, "I'm fine, Ron. You'd know how I was doing if you only talked to me sometimes but I get it, you know. You can't be bothered with your own sister." Ginny said, not trying to hide the feelings of hurt and betrayal in her voice.

Ginny sometimes wanted to rage at Hermione and Harry. She wanted to tell them, 'don't you think you've come between Ron and I enough.' Instead, she glared at Ron. It was much easier to be angry with him, rather than show him exactly how she was feeling. Ron looked down guiltily at her, as Ginny scowled at him. _She needed him and he knew it_, Ginny thought resentfully. _Mum and Dad know I need them, too_, Ginny thought with even more rage. _They're still angry with me._

Ginny had thought it over and discussed it with Tom. Even he'd said that her parents were finding it difficult to adjust to her being a Slytherin and that she should given them time and space; that way, they'd get used to her new house and learn to love her again.

That was almost a month ago, and yet still, her parents didn't write to her like they'd promised. Ginny had made several excuses for them but Tom said that it was best for Ginny to come to terms with the truth: That her relationship with her family would never be as it was before.

"Gin, I really haven't been trying to ignore you." Ron said tiredly. "You're so quiet all the time; it's hard to remember that you're even here. Wait, that didn't come out right. It's just that the twins are loud…and you're not."

Ginny frowned up at Ron. "So…in order to get you to talk to me, I have to be loud and play pranks that nearly get me expelled from school."

Ron scratched his head before nodding with a playful smile on his lips. "Yeah. It's that or…are you seeing anyone?" He asked, changing from charming to threatening in a matter of seconds as he rounded on Ginny. "You haven't been talking to me either." Ron accused, pointing a finger down at her as Ginny glared up at him. "Let me find you with a boy and I'll—."

"You'll what?" Ginny interrupted coldly, seeing Ron slightly back off at her tone.

"I'll tell Mum and Dad." He said spitefully and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"You are incapable of growing up," Ginny sighed, before meeting her brother's blue gaze again. "But you'd know whether or not I was seeing someone if you cared enough to at least come around more often. You haven't been the most welcoming of late, Ron. Most of the time, I don't bother you."

Ron sighed and just shrugged with a confused look on his face. "Look, you have a life of your own, just like me and the twins. I thought you didn't want me coming around you and that blonde-headed friend of yours. You know I'm not fond of Slytherins—well, Slytherins that aren't you obviously."

"You're all excuses."

"Fine," Ron snapped. "I—will—do—better. Happy now?"

Ginny wanted to cry again. Her own brother was blowing her off for his own more exciting life. He'd practically told her to get a life of her own. Ginny ran past him; this time, Ron didn't even try to stop her. _Git._ It took Ginny no time to reach the library. She found a dark corner and instantly pulled out her diary. It took her ten whole minutes to write out her confrontation with Ron; she had to organize her thoughts as best as she could—that way, Tom would be able to better help her.

Yet the solution he provided her with this time was different to all the others he'd given her in the past.

_**I can make you hurt less.**_

_How?_ Ginny wrote on the book page.

_**Trust me.**_

Ginny couldn't understand how anyone could make someone else hurt less, unless they could try to be there for someone in a way that shows how much they truly care for the person in pain. _But Tom's already doing that_, Ginny thought to herself. _So what does he mean?_ Ginny was about to ask him that very question before the hand holding her quill suddenly stopped. _What am I doing,_ Ginny berated herself. _Of course I can trust Tom. He's my one and only true friend._

Ginny quickly leaned forward in her seat and wrote down two letters. _Ok._

Ginny suddenly wanted to cry out as she felt a sharp pain rip through her skull. Memories of a laughing nine year old Ginny and a ten year old Ron degnoming their garden at the Burrow began to surface at the very forefront of Ginny's mind. The memory was playing before her eyes so vividly, as if it were happening before her right then and there—_but Ginny couldn't breathe_. Yet, she was so happy. Ginny felt a rush of love and joy, as she watched Ron playfully fling a gnome at her nine year old self.

But something was wrong. Ginny began to feel a change.

The happy feelings surrounding the memory began to dim. Ginny now almost felt numb by them. _No,_ _no. Stop!_

But it didn't.

Next, Ginny was seven and Ron was eight. The twins had just smashed her favorite porcelain doll that her horrible Great Aunt Murriel had given her. Seven year old Ginny was crying, and before the girl knew what was happening, Ron had tackled both Fred and George to the ground. The seven year old girl sniffed before charging George, who was about to get the upper hand on Ron. That was the day when the twins finally recognized what a force little Ronnikins and Ginnikins could be when together. Yet, the feeling of triumph and camaraderie that she'd shared with Ron for the first time ever was slowly thinning, until at last, it felt like wisps of smoke. Ginny knew those feelings had been there but all hope of recovering them was lost to her now.

_Please stop. STOP!_

Air suddenly invaded her lungs as Ginny came back to the library, where she was lying on the stone floor. She was gasping for breath, as she clutched her throat with her mouth opened wide. Memories of her and Ron still played before her eyes, but they only lasted for a few seconds until she could see them no more.

"Weasley," Ginny heard someone; the same person was now helping her back into her seat. "Weasley, do you hear me?"

That person's thumb rested on her cheek; they were spreading something warm and wet across that part of her face. It took her a couple of moments to realize that it was a tear.

"Say something, for goodness sakes."

Ginny's eyes finally focused; she was no longer seeing images of herself and Ron anymore. Instead, Ginny saw chocolate brown.

"Nott," Ginny said confusedly, seeing the boy give her a curt nod in response. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" He asked sharply. "Helping an epileptic, obviously."

Ginny glowered at him. "Why are you helping me period? What's in it for you?" Ginny asked, seeing the boy raise a single dark brow at Ginny.

"Who says there's anything in it for me?" Nott asked harshly. "What can _you _give me that I don't already have?"

Ginny looked at him thoughtfully before closing her eyes and holding her head down. Something in her head was pulsing painfully, although sporadically; it would flare and dim, only to lash out sharply again. Ginny had forgotten Nott the instant her eyes closed—that is, until he gave her a slight shake that made Ginny meet his gaze with her tired eyes. Ginny was more than exhausted; she felt stretched, like she was being pulled until all within her was tight and thin. She just hurt.

"Come. Can you walk?" Nott asked, but even Ginny could tell how his voice wasn't quite as irate as it had been before.

Ginny shook her head no at him. _Weak_. She could hear herself repeating that word in her mind. Ginny stood out of her seat, only to nearly collapse back down into it again. She felt a pressure around her waist; it held her up against something thin but solid and strong. Ginny felt her left arm being lifted until it was placed around something much taller than herself. She was incredibly light-headed, becoming increasingly more so with each passing second.

"My bag," Ginny said faintly, her breathing still irregular from earlier. "My diary." She whispered.

It was moments before her things were gathered. Ginny could not see Nott getting her things, but she could hear him. Ginny thanked her lucky stars that the infirmary was right around the corner from the library. Seemingly, it took them forever to get to the hospital wing, but at last, they arrived. Ginny collapsed down onto the bed nearest the doors.

She closed her eyes and her last thought that evening was about how much trouble she'd be in for missing Snape's detention.

* * *

Ginny entered the library, seeing afterward that her favorite table was empty. She'd just had a quick fifteen minute lunch and planned on spending the other forty-five minutes doing research. Upon sitting down at the table, Ginny began removing her books from her bag. Then, she saw it.

Her diary.

For two weeks, Ginny hadn't touched it; for two weeks, Ginny began to feel only a fraction of an inch better. It was like she was waking up out of an exhaustion-filled haze. The first week for Ginny had been hellacious. She'd spent three and a half days in the infirmary after whatever it was that had happened to her in the library. Thankfully, Ginny wasn't behind on her homework; in fact, she was weeks ahead in all of her classes. Therefore, when Astoria came to tell her the assignments that she'd need to make up, Ginny just gave the girl an emotionless stare before watching Astoria leave with a worried glint in her eyes. Ginny didn't understand Astoria, and at the moment, she didn't care to.

No, what she cared to understand was what exactly had happened to her that day in the library. She wanted to head straight here immediately after leaving the infirmary, because Ginny needed answers. _What had Tom done to me?_ Ginny wondered over and over. Yet, no matter what, she couldn't find any answers, period.

Ginny hated how closely Snape watched her now and she hated the sensations she'd feel whenever she met his gaze. She'd been forced to make up his detention the moment she was released from the infirmary. Whenever Ginny would look into his black orbs, she'd feel a delicate albeit rushing sensation in her head that unnerved her because she couldn't understand what exactly the feeling was. Sometimes, after meeting Snape's gaze, he'd say something she'd thought or was currently thinking at the time and he'd say her thoughts almost word-for-word, as if he'd read it all straight from her mind. There were rumors that the man _could_ actually read minds, but Ginny didn't know if such a thing was possible. All she knew was that she didn't like being around him. All Snape did was belittle her; he wasn't interested in helping Ginny at all.

When Snape's gaze wasn't on Ginny, there was always Nott's. She learned from Astoria, a close associate of Nott's, that the boy's first name was Theodore. Ginny always felt his gaze at breakfast, lunch, and dinner; she had no doubt that he would discreetly watch her in the commons—that is, if she ever took the time to actually sit in there which she hardly did. Theodore unnerved Ginny because she couldn't tell exactly _where_ his interest in her stemmed from. If he didn't want anything from her, then why did he watch her so much? Ginny just didn't believe him when he'd said that he wanted nothing, because she was a Slytherin. She didn't do things nowadays if there wasn't any gain for her. So why should she expect any better from Slytherins who were just like her?

Ginny had several puzzles that she needed to solve: Snape, Nott, and Tom. Right now, figuring out what exactly Tom had done to her that day in the library was her highest priority. She'd spent days scouring the restricted section of the library; Tom had taught her how to access the section long ago without getting caught. Ginny had searched countless tomes, focusing on memories. All that she had found seemed to be obscure magic.

One thing this particular branch of magic seemed to all have in common was that it was _Dark_.

_Did Tom really use Dark magic on me?_ Ginny wondered. Yet, the more and more she thought about it, Ginny couldn't bring herself to see why Tom would do something like that to her. He was her best friend, and he'd said so himself: He would never hurt her. These two weeks without him had been excruciatingly long for Ginny.

She missed him. He was all she had. He was her everything and she needed him.

With each passing day, she was becoming more convinced that maybe _she'd _just misunderstood what had happened that day in the library. Tom probably really _was _trying to help her; after all, he'd told her about how certain magic depended on an inherent trust in order to be successful in practice. He'd told Ginny to trust him and she hadn't—at least, not _enough_. Therefore, when Tom tried to help her, something about the process went wrong and that was all _her _fault, not his. Dark magic couldn't be executed on the basis of trust.

Tom had Ginny study 'rudimentary' Dark magic, or so he'd called it. Tom said he never wanted Ginny to be hurt by anything that she herself didn't know exactly how to fix. Now Ginny knew the intricacies of many curses well beyond Hogwarts level: She _knew _how to cast and to reverse some of the most lethal curses. To be honest, Ginny _liked _curses and didn't view them as inherently dark. Tom and Ginny had argued for days about the definition of Dark magic, but in the end, he'd convinced her that magic was magic and that only the caster's intent could be labeled either Light or Dark. If Tom was using magic to help her, and that magic was based on an inherent trust, then it hadn't been Dark magic at all.

Ginny opened the diary and wrote down her reasoning and apology to Tom. _She'd hurt him_, Ginny could tell as much. He said she'd have to _prove _how much she really trusted him; Ginny therefore promised that she would. Still, Tom was glad that Ginny was finally beginning to understand the 'true nature of certain magic.'

Ginny looked down at the page, seeing: _**all is forgiven, my sweet Ginny. You are learning well.**_

Ginny closed her diary with a smile, knowing that the next time Tom offered her help, she would trust him and allow him to just help her like any friend would. She chose to stand and begin researching Runic spells. She needed something challenging to read before enduring Herbology this afternoon.

* * *

Ginny hated this year's November. The first two weeks had been agonizingly slow and lonely. Then, the days afterward seemed to blend together as one. Ginny began to feel like her nights were becoming restless; even Astoria had said how she'd wake up sometimes to find Ginny's bed empty. In all honesty, Ginny didn't know whether or not to believe her. Astoria could be lying to get her in trouble with Snape, who Ginny now knew she had to stay away from.

Tom had told her what Snape was doing: He really _could _read people's minds. Tom had called him a Legilimens; he was someone who used the art of Legilimency to decipher people's thoughts, feelings, and memories. Tom said Legilimens were dangerous if they practiced Legilimency on a person whose trust they did not have. Ginny therefore took Tom's warning to heart and never looked Snape in the eyes again; in fact, she went out of her way to avoid the man all together. Yet, Astoria kept threatening to report Ginny to the man. Ginny had to figure out how to keep the blonde quiet, until she was ready for Snape.

Around mid-November, Colin Creevey was attacked. He was found after a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin; it was a match Ginny didn't remember attending earlier that day. She didn't remember anything she'd done that day. Colin was now in the infirmary and a feeling within Ginny told her that it was all _her_ fault. Ginny sat next to Creevey in Charms. Surprisingly, he was a quiet partner who was very focused on his studies. Therefore, Ginny preferred him to Astoria. She felt guilty knowing there was a possibility that she could've harmed him and the others.

November ended quickly, only for a harsher month (December) to follow. A couple of weeks passed after Creevey's attack and everything once again seemed to be calming down. Well, things were as calm as they could be at Hogwarts. Dueling Clubs were being hosted daily, and besides the discovery of Harry's parsletongue ability, nothing dangerous had happened since Colin. For that, Ginny was grateful. All the while, she kept feeling horrible for Harry. People were saying that _he _was the Heir of Slytherin but Ginny doubted it. Harry was a good person; he was someone Ginny really, really liked. Ginny felt like he was getting blamed for something she was doing. Ginny wanted to tell Harry the truth.

Tom, however, had stopped her. Logically, he'd said, it was impossible for Ginny to be the Heir of Slytherin. Ginny had went in the library and looked up information on her family's bloodline. No, she wasn't descended from Slytherin. She'd even conjured a snake and tried to speak Parsletongue to it like Harry, but Ginny just couldn't do it. Tom told her she couldn't admit to something she wasn't, and when she asked him about her memory loss around the time of the attacks, he said that it was all simply due to stress and Ginny's neglect when it came down to taking care of herself. Ginny hated to admit it, but he did have a point. Ginny could be healthier than she was, but she wasn't because of her ways.

But if she and Harry wasn't the heir, then Ginny wondered _who _was? Who was going around attacking innocent people? Who was trying to frame Harry and possibly even Ginny herself? Yet Ginny was glad that so many people were focused on Harry, rather than on her. It bought Ginny time, which was something she desperately needed but never seemed to have.

Ginny just wasn't finding answers quick enough. Justin Finch-Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick had both been attacked the first half of December, and Ginny still couldn't remember exactly what she'd been doing that night.

Again, she wrote to Tom and he told her that she was innocent in all of this. Ginny just needed to calm down and keep up appearances; that way, no one would ever suspect her. Ginny was to be the sweet, loving, and caring girl that everyone—especially her family—knew her to be. She had to 'keep up appearances' before the culprit was caught; Tom promised her that she wouldn't have long to wait for that to happen. He said that there was no way she was ever capable of hurting someone; it honestly made Ginny sleep better at night, even though there was a part of her that suspected that she was somehow involved in these attacks.

When Ginny wasn't in the library, she sometimes spent time around Hagrid. Yes, Ginny's motive _was_ to see Harry but she truly liked being around the half-giant, too. There was a gentleness about him that reminded her of Charlie, who Ginny missed a lot. She didn't have the same taste in animals as he did, but Ginny liked learning what she could from Hagrid all the same. Surprisingly, his prejudice towards Slytherins did not extend to her. At first, Hagrid was suspicious of Ginny. He, at least, was willing to give her a chance to prove that she was more than the typical, cold Slytherin.

Ginny found herself down at Hagrid's hut at least once on the weekends and once during the school week. She saw Hagrid's hut as neutral territory, a place where she could be around the Trio without worrying about her housemate's reactions. Yet, she was never lucky enough to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione whenever she actually ventured to his home. Part of her was pleased by this, because Ginny felt like the Trio was trying to figure out who was behind the attacks. Before she'd even started Hogwarts, she'd always imagined herself hanging out with her brother, Harry, and Hermione but everything had turned out so wrong. Still, Ginny had to find a way to keep those three from suspecting her. Their focus had to be elsewhere; she just had to figure out exactly how she could distract them.

Christmas soon arrived and Ginny found herself virtually alone at Hogwarts. She couldn't truly celebrate the holiday with her family, although they all had been thoughtful with the gifts they'd given her. That still didn't stop Ginny from spending that day almost entirely alone in her dorm room, writing to Tom. He'd kept her company by regaling her with his experiences and his knowledge. Most of all, he listened to her tell him about her parents, her brothers, and especially Harry, who even Tom seemed interested in. Harry, he'd told Ginny, was someone worthy of her. She liked reading Tom's opinion of her and Harry—especially when he said what good a couple they'd make. It made Ginny happier than she was, but she honestly couldn't see how Harry could ever love _her,_ a Slytherin.

The holidays passed in a blur. She'd lived through it mundanely by doing a lot of research in the library, or by doing a lot of writing to Tom. Ginny had liked being down in the dungeons almost completely alone, with the exception of Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and a few others. Now, since everyone had returned, she found less safety in the growing, chilling darkness. It wasn't that everyone's return made the sentiment all together absent; no, it just made Ginny feel like she was a fading shadow forever in the backdrop of others lives.

Her housemate's return made Ginny realize how much she'd changed. The night that marked her housemates return was the night Flint chose to _Petrificus Totalus_ Ginny in front of the entire commons. There was no reason behind his attack on her—that is, other than the fact that she was a blood traitor. In, his eyes, she was weak and did not have the power to stop him. Flint therefore could exercise his power over her anytime he wanted to, because he simply knew that Ginny could not stop him.

Her legs seized together and her arms flattened painfully against her side as she fell backward, hitting her head on the stone floor. Lights flickered before her eyes as she stared up at the green-lit lamps. Ginny could hear and see Flint standing above her. She could hear the harsh laughter of her housemates. _They were laughing at her weakness._

"Poor, poor, little blood traitor." Flint snarled, literally spitting down at her. A thick glob had landed directly below Ginny's left eye. "So foul, so worthless."

Ginny didn't know exactly what happened to her at that very moment. She just knew that she could hear their laughter; she could still feel Flint's spit on her face. Ginny could hear the way he'd snarled 'worthless' down at her; it was repeating itself in her mind. Ginny wanted to be free of all this, and in an instant, her bonds diappeared. She moved to get up, all the while seeing Flint move forward. Suddenly, she felt afraid. Ginny thought he was going to strike her, by the look of all the hate on his face. She extended her arms out to keep his blows at bay, until she suddenly felt a jolt surge from within her; it filtered out through her hands. There was a red burst of brilliant light that emitted from her hands, and afterward, Ginny watched with wide-eyes as Flint was first lifted and then thrown violently backwards until he hit one of the portraits above the fireplace's mantle which he landed in front of.

All Ginny could do was stare down at her hands in amazement—that is, until she looked away from her hands and found Flint glaring at her murderously as he struggled to his feet. Ginny knew she couldn't allow him to further bully her; she now had to take away his power in front of the others. If she didn't do it properly, then there would be others terrorizing her like Flint. Ginny was resolved to never be so humiliated ever again; she never wanted to feel so helpless, _ever_.

"Rictumsepra." Ginny whispered to herself, sending the spell at Flint with more force than it actually required. Ginny enjoyed the look of fear on his face as she saw his legs slide into the fireplace. He began to scream in agony; all the while Ginny simply watched him in fascination _and joy_.

His pain thrilled her but she couldn't entirely understand why. She felt herself smiling, as she wiped his spit from her face and rubbed what saliva of his she could on her pants. She focused on Flint again, only to see Warrington and Crabbe struggling to pull Flint's legs out of the fireplace. Ginny flicked her wand, causing Flint's body to slide quickly towards her.

Ginny saw his burned legs and heard his sobs—and yet she felt only vindictive pleasure upon watching him. At that moment, Warrington aimed a stunner at Ginny. She easily deflected it, feeling even more pleased when it hit Goyle, who'd been standing next to Malfoy's right. Ginny smiled coldly at the boy across the common room. Suddenly, she struck him down with her Bat-Bogey Hex. Ginny did _not _hold back when hexing the boy and found that he was no longer interesting once he screamed and sank to the stone floor on his knees. Ginny's attention went back to Flint, although she wasn't dumb enough to leave herself unshielded before the others.

"Look at you," Ginny said emotionlessly to Flint, still hearing his sniffling. Ginny wanted the others to hear her, and yet she didn't even remotely care for their presence. "—on the floor at a blood traitor's feet. It makes you feel powerful to pick on eleven year old girls, doesn't it? For shame, Marcus." Ginny said; her voice was coldly vicious as she looked down at him in disgust. "And yet you say that I'm worthless. I say, _prove it_. Prove that you are _my_ better."

Flint's breathing was coming out in harsh rasps, as he stared up at her in hate. Ginny made an almost S-shaped movement with her wand, healing Flint's minor burn injuries for all to see. She could hear them muttering but Ginny only focused on Flint; he, at the moment, was her priority.

"You have your wand," Ginny began. "Let's see how you fare against an opponent who's actually ready for you."

She watched him stand to his feet and knew the exact moment when he'd attack. Ginny effortlessly side-stepped it and lashed out with her Bat-Bogey hex again, watching Flint fall and cry out with a smirk on her face.

"And now you see that you were never my equal. Say it; say that 'I was a coward and was never the blood traitor's better.'" Ginny said, increasing the intensity of her hex so much that Flint cried out yet again.

"I was a coward," the boy said breathlessly, "and…and…AH!"

Ginny had hexed him again. "Say it or I'll make you hoarse from screaming and sore from thrashing. Say it now!" Ginny said icily, increasing the intensity of her second hex.

"I was a coward and was never the blood traitor's better." Flint shouted hurriedly. Ginny instantly cancelled both hexes, sneering down at the way Flint's body slackened on the floor afterward. _He _was the weak one now, _not_ her.

"If you so much as breathe the word blood traitor around me—or if you _ever_ dare to attack me again—you'll beg me to kill you when I'm through with you. Understood?"

"Yes."

"What did you say?"

"YES!"

Ginny looked away from Flint, only to glare coldly at all the others in the commons. Her smirk widened, seeing the looks on their faces: Fear, being the most prevalent; awestricken; and, last but not least, calculation. Then Ginny's eyes settled on one pair that she recognized and hated with a fierce viciousness. _Snape's_.

_How much had he seen,_ Ginny wondered? _How much does_ _he_ _know_?

Ginny looked away from his obsidian gaze, and instead, focused on looking at the man's overly large nose. She wouldn't let him Legilimize her. Snape had crossed the commons in a matter of seconds and roughly grabbed Ginny's arm, pulling her out of the room behind him easily because all of her housemates knew better than to block his path. Before leaving, however, Ginny's eyes met with chocolate brown and she couldn't help the cold smile that she sent Nott before leaving their house entirely. It took no time for them to reach Snape's office, a place that Ginny was all too familiar with.

Severus closed the door with his back to the girl, and the moment he turned to catch her eyes was the moment Weasley covertly avoided his gaze yet _again_. He watched her carefully, thinking that he wouldn't get insolence from her tonight. Severus had been summoned by Miss. Parkinson and had only entered the common room to see Weasley hit Flint with her Bat-Bogey hex. The hex was remarkably impressive and yet Severus could not focus on anything but her eyes; she'd truly delighted in the boy's pain. Severus wondered had his eyes gleamed so ruthlessly when he'd taken his vengeance against bullies like Potter, Black, the wolf, and Pettigrew.

For Severus, it was uncomfortable to see such hate in eyes like hers. She was too young to hate that intensely; Severus had thought her too innocent to bask in others pain and yet she'd inflicted it like a Death Eater. She offered no sympathy and only fulfilled her promise to bring the Flint boy more agony—and she'd loved it. He'd seen that much in her eyes. Again, Severus couldn't stop himself from wondering exactly _what_ in the world had happened to the Weasley he'd seen at the very beginning of the year. Severus needed to know the depth of the girl's depravity before acting either to help her or to rid Hogwarts of her.

"You will serve detention with me for the next month," Snape said, seeing the girl nod as she stared at the floor. He saw the girl tremble and frowned. She looked up at him _tearfully._ Her face was _tearstained._

"And Flint, sir?" Weasley asked quietly. "Will he get detention, too?"

"According to Miss. Parkinson, you burned the boy's legs." Severus said sharply, "You also hexed another housemate. There are consequences for such behavior."

"He spat on me." Ginny said quietly, her voice shaking. "You know they call me blood traitor but you don't stop them."

Severus frowned, understanding now why the girl was so distraught. Severus prided himself on being extremely knowledgeable about the happenings within his own House—and yet he hadn't known the extent of Flint's maltreatment of Weasley. He knew of the name-calling but _spitting_. What else had happened in his house that he wasn't knowledgeable of? Severus had promised himself that he would keep a close eye on the Weasley girl. Yet, the girl's present behavior was not compatible to the temperament Weasley exuded earlier in the common room. Weasley, however, was still standing before him and the emotion in her eyes was vividly raw.

"Mr. Flint's behavior will be dealt with later." Severus drawled, seeing Weasley glare coldly at him before avoiding his gaze yet again. "Your actions, on the other hand, are now under the scrutiny they deserve. I should expel you, girl. You will cease this insolence at once and explain yourself."

Ginny allowed herself to get more emotional before obeying Snape. "I'm sorry." Ginny said, trembling all over. "It won't happen again. Please don't expel me, please." Ginny begged, meeting his gaze squarely with teary eyes of her own.

Severus narrowed his gaze at the girl. He honestly didn't know what to think. One moment, she was calculating; the next, she was an emotional wreck, like a typical teenager. Severus didn't know which persona to believe. The girl, however, was a Weasley and Weasleys weren't highly complex. Still, there _was _the fact that she had been sorted into _his _house; that meant that the girl wasn't a typical Weasley. The emotions written across her face—the sheer depth of the girl's emotions—were all genuine; that much he saw in her eyes.

"Your detention begins tomorrow." Severus said, hearing the girl sob yet again. He couldn't stand to be around her any longer. "Get out of my sight."

Severus watched the girl run from his room, all the while feeling like Minerva and Dumbledore would eviscerate him if they ever knew the extent of Weasley's depression—especially if they learned that he'd done virtually nothing to stop the girl from sinking further into her anguish. Severus sighed to himself before heading towards his private quarters. He doubted the Weasley girl's ability to persevere beyond this year in his House. If Severus could not convince the Headmaster and the girl's parents that she needed re-sorting, then he would at least make them see reason and have the girl withdrawn from Hogwarts so that she could pursue her magical education elsewhere.

Ginny ran from Snape's class, and the moment she closed the door to his office was the moment a smile spread across her face. She'd manipulated him exactly the way she'd wanted to. Of course, her manipulation would have been truly beautiful had she escaped with no punishment at all. Yet, Snape couldn't really be sure what to believe about her actions tonight—that she was sure of. Ginny knew _he underestimated her_ and it was that underestimation that would always blind him to who she really was. It was as Tom said: People could not see truth that was not their version of the truth.

She had played Snape and she had done it relatively well. Her 'breakdown' had convinced him of her weakness. Besides, Snape could neither prove nor disprove that she had really burned Flint, despite the fact that almost their whole house had seen her _unintentionally_ throw him across the room.

Ginny didn't mean to burn him, but she did _not_ regret it at all.

She didn't regret making him pay for every spell and insult he'd ever shot at her.

As Ginny walked back towards her house's entrance, she felt like she would have been disgusted with what she'd unintentionally done if it had only happened a couple of months ago. Yet the more she thought about it, the more she asked herself why she shouldn't enjoy her revenge.

It had been justice that no one was willing to give her. She therefore took it for herself. No one ever truly defended the weak; that much Ginny had learned from Tom, so Ginny had to defend herself. _She had to consider her needs and she did. This time, Ginny chose herself._ She had taken back her power from Flint and she had defended herself when no one else would.

What she'd done wasn't wrong: It was completely justified.

Ginny entered the Slytherin commons with her head held high. She met every gaze challengingly, seeing the others look away from her. Now, they knew. Now, they understood and their fear of an eleven year old blood traitor would keep most of them silent. For once, Ginny was glad to be a Slytherin. Her House had many mottos but one was held to strictly: What happens in Slytherin stays in Slytherin. They wouldn't tell what happened to anyone outside of their house, with the exception perhaps being their families. From now on, they would watch her for her usefulness and their caution would make them hesitant to even remotely suffer the embarrassment she'd made of Flint. As she walked across the room to the girl's staircase, Ginny loved how they cleared out of her way. She took to the stairs, knowing that they would _never _accept her—but there was one thing about her that they'd never forget.

She was not weak. She had power that she'd use for her gain.

The moment Ginny closed the door to her room was the exact moment when it opened again. It was Astoria.

"What is wrong with you?" Astoria asked, giving Ginny her most scrutinizing gaze. "How could you burn him like that?"

"Because I could," Ginny responded unaffectedly, gathering her clothes for her nightly shower. "Just like he could spit on me." She concluded, heading towards the door to the Loo before Astoria blocked her way.

"Something's happened to you." Astoria said, watching her all too closely. "I thought you'd get better over the holidays but you've got _worse_."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked irately.

"It was all right when you were only hurting yourself, but you can't go around tossing our housemates into fire." Astoria yelled. "What's worse is that you don't even deny it."

Ginny felt anger unlike she'd never felt before. Astoria saw the girl's eyes flash and couldn't stop the urge to back up as Ginny advanced towards her with a predatory gleam to her eyes.

"Why would I deny it?" Ginny spat so coldly that Astoria flinched by her tone. "You all saw what I did because I _wanted _you to see it. And you are to _never_ question me again. You are not my keeper and I am _not_ yours."

"I'm going to tell Professor Snape." Astoria said boldly and Ginny laughed a high, cold laugh that wasn't truly hers.

"And you think _you_ can tell _him _something that he hasn't already seen for himself." Ginny said with a cold smile, seeing Astoria's lips thin as she understood exactly what Ginny was saying. "I'd like to see you do that. In fact, I think I'll go down to his classroom with you to see how well he takes your…insightfulness—especially after everything I've already told him tonight."

"You think you're so smart." Astoria said in a very Draco-ish way. "You actually think Professor Snape can be manipulated." She said disbelievingly, narrowing her eyes at Ginny.

Ginny gave Astoria one of her most innocent-like looks. "I wouldn't dare. Now stop wasting my time and get out of my face before I _make _you."

"You wouldn't," Astoria said, her voice slightly trembling. "You've always said that you don't like hurting people."

Ginny turned and finally opened the door to their shower room. Before closing it, she met Astoria's gaze for one last time tonight.

"I've changed." Ginny said, her voice chillingly gentle and low. Ginny knew the truth of her words the moment they fell from her lips. Ginny knew she wasn't the same girl she was when she first entered the castle, and at the moment, she had no desire to _be _her. They both knew that; it didn't have to be said.

Ginny eased the door to the Loo closed, staring at the shower room without truly seeing it. She walked towards the mirror and looked at her reflection, knowing that this was who she was now.

But as she stared into her very own eyes, even Ginny couldn't say that she was entirely comfortable with the cold, steely-eyed girl she'd become without even realizing who and what she was changing into.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4—The Real Him **

Severus could not aid the Weasley girl to the extent that Minerva deemed he should. Both Dumbledore and Minerva could tell that Weasley was "lonely." They felt that Severus should be doing more to reach out to the girl. Basically, that he should stop merely observing the situation that the girl was enduring and act.

Severus was more prudent. He would not rush in like a mindless fool without knowing almost everything he could about the girl's actions. He was not convinced that Weasley was lonely and merely stressed, as Minerva had put it. He'd seen what the girl was capable of, and despite the shortcomings of her idiotic brothers, he was not convinced that Weasley was who she pretended to be.

Severus had a little over seventy students in Slytherin house to look after. He also had to monitor several cauldrons full of Mandrake draught that was being used to revive Creevey, Finch-Fletchley, and Argus's pestilent cat. The Mandrakes weren't fully developed yet, so Severus found himself working alongside Pomfrey and Sprout around the clock in order to ensure that they properly reached maturity and that all stages of the potion were being properly carried out. He didn't have the time to see to the needs of every student—especially a moody first year who was too bothered to get a good night's rest and one whole course meal a day.

Severus could not allow his Slytherins to see him helping a Weasley. The Dark Lord was absent, not dead. His spies and his reach, even to this day, extended far. Severus knew his students would tell certain Death Eater affiliates in their families about his attentions towards a red-headed blood traitorous girl who they deemed a waste of good oxygen. He could not act outwardly, but there were precautions he had taken to help Weasley as much as he could.

He'd written the girl's parents. He'd alerted that prefect brother of hers about the girl's unhealthy habits, and he'd even talked to her a couple of times after class. Short of grabbing the girl's chin and forcing her to meet his eyes fully, he would never be able to Legilimize Weasley and therefore know exactly what the little chit was hiding.

He was not used to students making his Head of House duties easy; however, most of his students' behavior was quite simple to interpret. The girl, however, frustrated Severus. He just could _not _fully grasp what was wrong with Weasley. Severus fought the urge to sigh and massage both sides of his temple, choosing to head the girl off before she fully fled from his chamber.

"Miss. Weasley," Severus began, noticing how the girl completely stiffened while trying to place notes into her second-hand bag. She looked up and actually met his gaze but only for three seconds. "Follow me." He said abruptly, choosing to lead the girl into the more private potions classroom next door. The moment the door closed behind the girl was the moment Severus began talking.

"Miss. Greengrass tells me that your sleep is still disturbed. Silence." Severus said sharply, seeing the insolent girl open her mouth to interrupt him. "Greengrass's accusations cannot be denied—the bags underneath your eyes prove the girl's claims. It was only last week that I told you to get more sleep. I recommended that you come to me or Madam Pomfrey for sleep aides that would be tailored to your needs—and yet _still _you refuse. Explain yourself."

Again, Severus saw the raw emotion that seemed to almost cascade from the girl's orbs and wash over him. Severus did not delude himself into thinking that he respected any student's privacy and so he gently entered her mind, feeling the despair, the anger, and a haunting detachment that bordered unawareness; it felt _foreign_, but he was not familiar with Weasley's mind and so he could not be sure. Before he could see further, the connection began to fade until it was no more. She had broken eye contact _again_.

"I'm sorry, Professor." The girl said dully, although her tone was respectful. "I could never get a prefect to bring me to the infirmary or to your classroom after curfew, so I never came."

"Very well then." Severus said, "Why do you not eat three times a day? You could at least eat once in the morning and once in the afternoon, but instead, the proportions you intake are nowhere near where they should be. Do not say that you are not hungry. We both know that I can provide potions that slightly increase your appetite."

The girl visibly paused before saying, "I can't get here to get the potions, sir—and I don't have time to ask you for them after class. I wouldn't be able to make it to my next class if I stayed behind for too long."

Severus nodded, understanding that the girl indeed had valid points. Her excuses were plausible but he thought they were lies all the same. He wanted to see what would be her excuse once he took the others away.

"Come by tomorrow during the second half of lunch. The potions will be ready then." Severus said, seeing the girl nod and walk to the door to leave. "And, Weasley, should your appetite and sleeping patterns not improve, then you _will _face detention everyday for the next month until they do. Understood?"

"Yes, professor." the girl said muttered before exiting the classroom.

As he watched her leave, he couldn't help but hope that young Nott succeeded in earning Weasley's trust. Despite how much he wanted to help the girl, even he knew the likelihood of him always being there for her when it mattered was slim to none.

Ginny wanted to slam the door to Snape's classroom closed. The nerve of that man made her angry beyond all reason. Almost immediately after the holidays, Snape had ordered her into his class and demanded that she begin to eat and sleep more. He acted as if her loss of appetite and sleep was done out some urge to be a stupid rebellious teen, when in actuality, it was just something that Ginny couldn't really help. She forced herself to eat; she _really _did but the food was tasteless. She sometimes found herself sickening up what little food she'd eaten for the day.

Ginny didn't understand why it was happening and Madam Pomfrey couldn't either. All of her diagnostic tests indicated that Ginny was perfectly healthy—especially now that her anemia was treated; it still wasn't enough to make her feel like her old self. The second letter that Ginny's Mum had sent her was more of a threat, saying that if Ginny's health didn't improve, her Mum would take her out of Hogwarts for good. Needless to say, Ginny didn't appreciate her Mum and Snape's bullying.

The moment Ginny entered the Slytherin commons was the moment Malfoy decided to yell her name across the room. Ginny ignored him and continued to run up the stairwell to her room. This time, she slammed the door closed and threw herself down onto her bed. She didn't have long to wait, however. Malfoy came barging into her room a minute later. He sat down on the edge of her bed and Ginny decided to ignore the taunting gaze that she could feel on her.

"If you're here to make fun of what a big muggle-loving fool my Dad is, then you can go away now, Malfoy." Ginny snapped, not wanting to hear anything the jerk had to say. "Yes, my Dad's muggle-obsessed but he's a good man. You can't say that about your father, can you?"

"My father's a great man, Weasel." Malfoy sneered childishly.

"That's certainly news to me and that's definitely not what I've heard from _our_ housemates."

"Who cares what you heard, blood traitor? You don't matter—you're nothing."

Draco's comment was met by silence. Ginny couldn't see how she could argue with what he'd last said but she _would_ stand up to him all the same.

"If I'm nothing, then why are you wasting your time here with me, Draco?" Ginny asked, sitting up to look the platinum blond in his cold, gray eyes. "I'm not like Ron and so I won't truly care what stupid things you say about me or my family because—well, it's coming from you. Don't you think you seriously need to do more growing up to be truly worthy of the name Malfoy? I bet Daddy tells you that all the time, doesn't he? Of course he does. He's Lucius Malfoy."

"SHUT-UP!" Malfoy yelled, breaking his impeccable composure. His right hand was wrapped tightly around Ginny's throat as he pressed her back further into the mattress. She couldn't breathe, but Ginny just smiled up at him.

She was seeing black spots in her vision and her chest was quickly rising up and down in an attempt to breathe, even though her airways just wouldn't let that happen. Yet, she'd never felt more like herself than in that moment right there. She couldn't help but wonder why people always had the most important revelations when it was too late to change anything about how they'd lived. Ginny felt something within her give, as if it had been broken from within her. It hurt so much that she welcomed the empty blackness that seemingly existed everywhere, because at that moment, there was nothing else for her except this.

* * *

Ginny's eyes opened to see rich blue orbs looking into hers. She knew they belonged to Astoria, and she was right, as her vision adjusted to the dark room and allowed her to see her roommate and her Head of House. Upon seeing him, Ginny didn't know if she wanted to scream in frustration, throw something at the man, or just cry. She wanted Snape to leave her alone. Ginny wondered if the man thought he was helping her, when in actuality, all he did was make things worse and give her more detentions.

She hated him. He was the bane of her existence, a force she could do nothing to deter or stop.

"Ginevra," Astoria began shakily, "Who did that to you?" She asked worriedly.

Ginny just stared at her blankly. _What is she playing? She could care less if I was hurt or dead_. _She's just pretending because of Snape, that's all. Bloody cow._

"Answer the question, Miss. Weasley." Snape said; his voice didn't portray any concern at all. He didn't want to be there, Ginny could tell as much. _He probably doesn't want to punish his more precious, worthier snakes. I hate that man, I really hate him._ _And there he goes again, intruding into my mind like he did earlier tonight. What? Does he think I can't feel him when he does that? _Snape frowned at Ginny, who glared at him in return. _I can't stop you from seeing but I can make you see what I want you to see, you bastard._

"I don't remember." Ginny said slowly, as if she was trying to recall who had assaulted her, when all she was doing was trying to make her lie convincing. "I-I came upstairs because I really wanted to finish some of my earlier reading, but I had to use the Loo. When I came out, everything was dark. I was rushed and pinned to the bed. I couldn't breathe…"

Ginny knew her lie was believable. The number one rule in Slytherin after doing rule breaking was to never get caught. Snape would find it easy to believe her story because of that rule.

Ginny wasn't protecting Draco. No, she was savoring the moment he'd lost control and given into the emotions that made him so unworthy of being a Malfoy. Ginny could really care less how much of a Malfoy Draco was or wasn't. She only said it because it hurt him. She imagined it was always something Lucius would chide Draco for and Ginny now knew she was right in her assumption.

Draco's shortcomings in the eyes of his father meant everything to the boy who so desperately wanted to be a carbon copy of the man. In the past, Ginny knew she would have pitied him. Today, Draco was her enemy and Ginny _never _pitied her enemies. Tom had taught her that much, and from this day forward, whenever Draco looked at her, he would remember his loss of control. He would remember how he'd given into the weakness of emotions and allowed his enemy the upper hand, a very un-Malfoy like thing to do indeed.

"Before you awoke, Miss. Greengrass administered bruise salve to your neck." Snape said, his voice sounding clinical as he spoke to two eleven year old. "In order to improve and lessen the appearance of the bruise, I advise you to put the salve on every five hours. It should be gone completely by tomorrow afternoon. I am now going to teach you both two locking charms. One is simple, while the other is advanced. Watch closely."

Astoria watched the Potions Master as Ginny watched her calculatingly. _Why has she been acting so nice to me lately? What does she want?_ Ginny snapped out of her thoughts, hearing Snape bark at her to pay attention to his instruction. Ginny watched, taking care to hide her boredom. She already knew how to do the simple locking charm. Once she saw the charm he classified as advanced, Ginny had to bite hard on her bottom lip to stop herself from sneering. _Maybe I should look into other magical schools across Europe or even in America. If it wasn't for Tom, I'd never really know the endless bounds of magic at all._

"Now let's see what you both can do." Snape said, using his hand to tell Astoria to begin first. His black gaze turned to Ginny, telling her that she'd better get the charm right on her first try or there would be consequences. Ginny's gaze moved to Astoria; she didn't want the man Legilimizing her anymore this night.

It took Astoria three times to get the simple charm, and after she was finally done, it was Ginny's turn to have a go. With one try, she was able to lock the door. Ginny looked at Astoria, expecting to see jealousy written across her face; instead, she found herself met with a deep, thoughtful expression that bordered calculation. _So she's not as immature as I thought_. It was Astoria's turn again; this time, she'd be doing the more advanced charm. After five tries, Astoria had gotten it right. Ginny allowed herself to mess the charm up twice before getting it right on her third try.

"After I leave, you are to lock this door using either charm of your choosing. Tomorrow, I will be changing the wards surrounding this room."

And with that said, Snape was gone. Ten seconds after he left, Ginny focused on Astoria.

"You told him." Ginny said blandly, observing Astoria closely.

"You looked…dead." She said stiffly.

"_And_ you put bruise salve on my neck."

"For appearance's sake, yes. I don't understand why you wouldn't lock the door from the start, Ginny—."

"Don't call me that," Ginny snapped, her eyes flashing at the girl. Astoria was _not _her family. She would not address her as Ginny.

Astoria's eyes widened fearfully before she masked her expression. "Ginny is your name. What's wrong with you?"

Ginny ignored her question and continued. "From now on, I'm Ginevra to you and everyone else in this bloody House."

Ginny wanted to tell the girl to stop pretending to be nice to her; that she wouldn't get anything out of Ginny by becoming kind towards her now. Yet, in the end, she couldn't tell what she'd gain by saying something like that to Astoria. Ginny recognized Astoria's game and so she would play it for now.

As Ginny climbed underneath her covers, she thought about what an unexpectedly productive night it had been. She now knew that she had to better organize her mind, because she would never be able to use Occlumency until she'd familiarized herself with _all _of her mind. Ginny and Tom had both guessed that it would take years to withstand a true master Legilimens, someone like Dumbledore or perhaps You-Know-Who. Tom didn't like how firmly against You-Know-Who Ginny was. Slytherins, Tom said, never made outright enemies. Enemies should doubt whether or not they are adversaries or friends. On that score, Ginny ignored Tom and could tell that he was frustrated by her disregard of his opinion on the matter.

Ginny devoured books about the first war, wanting to know how it was fought because she'd lost her uncles Fabian and Gideon to it. She studied almost each and every battle ever recorded, trying to discern how You-Know-Who used his tactics to cripple the Wizarding world to a brink very near destruction. He-Who-Must-Not-be-Named had fought the war in many ways, but he'd especially liked playing what muggles called mind-games. Ginny often talked to Hagrid on the weekends, and if he was right, then You-Know-Who wasn't gone for good. Hagrid had said it, and he believed it because Dumbledore believed it.

Ginny knew Dumbledore to hardly ever be wrong. If Ginny learned Occlumency, she'd never be the weak link: The one who jeopardized the safety of her loved ones simply because she couldn't control her thoughts and emotions. Learning Occlumency was about keeping Snape out but it was much bigger than just that alone. Ginny didn't doubt Hagrid, and if he said You-Know-Who was coming back, then he was coming back. Ginny knew all about Harry's first year with the Sorcerer's Stone. It proved that You-Know-Who, wherever he was, was still out there biding his time.

And even Ginny wasn't young and naïve enough _not _to be ready for his return.

* * *

(Late January)

As Ginny and Tom increasingly disagreed on the topic of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, she decided to write less to Tom and to spend more time around Hagrid. She liked being around the friendly half-giant, who made Ginny remember the _old _her who Ginny was beginning to long for once more. Being around Hagrid was like being around her family; it reminded her of how they were _before_.

Ginny also liked being around Hagrid because he was very transparent in the sincerest way. He didn't have hidden motives or designs to manipulate others into getting the things he wanted out of people. He was not like _her_ and he definitely wasn't a Slytherin. She didn't like to think about how much she needed Hagrid's friendship; it was something Ginny knew the half-giant didn't understand himself. Yet, he was the first person to believe in her since her sorting in Slytherin. He hadn't written her off as evil or manipulative, the latter being absolutely true.

"The Mandrakes are maturin' well." Hagrid said, pouring Ginny some tea, while sliding over his rock cakes toward her. "Pomfrey and Snape reckon it's goin' 'ter be another three months and a half before they're ready."

Ginny drank the tea, wincing at how hot it was as it went down her throat. She waved her wand over it to cool it slightly before responding.

"The sooner, the better," Ginny said quietly. "I've been studying the properties of that potion and I think I know a way to lessen the brewing time, but I can't be sure. I wish I had mandrakes to run tests on."

"You and yer books." Hagrid said fondly with a smile, throwing down some chicken legs to Fang. "Some things jus' take time. Things'll be ok. You'll see." He finished, and Ginny thought he sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than her.

"I still want to test those Mandrakes, Hagrid." Ginny said, hearing him chuckle afterward.

"Dumbledore's got no Mandrakes 'ter spare for an eleven year old who wants 'ter do tests." He said bluntly, earning a mock glare from Ginny. "Sorry, Ginny but that's not happenin'."

"Then how am I supposed to know if I'm right or not?" Ginny asked herself more than Hagrid, seeing him grin and shake his head at her.

"Yer worse than Hermione, you kno'." Hagrid teased, and this time, Ginny rolled her eyes. "Anyway, when was the last time you talked ter your brother, Harry, and Hermione?"

"Christmas," Ginny added nonchalantly, and Hagrid frowned at her tone.

"Almost two months," Hagrid began. "Dunno what's wrong with you lot."

"_They _won't talk to _me_." Ginny said; her voice was cold, defensive but soft. "They're in their own world, trying to solve this whole Chamber business. You should see them, really. It's quite hilarious how secretive they are about what they're doing, although anyone who cared to look close enough can see that they're up to something."

"That's Harry, Ron, and Hermione for yah, that is." He said thoughtfully, and something about Hagrid seemed evasive to Ginny. _He's worried_, Ginny realized. _But what for?_

"And yer not changin' the subject that quick." Hagrid said and Ginny sighed. "They're yer family, Ginny. Talk to 'em."

"Fine." Ginny said, not wanting to lash out and ask if he was telling them to do the exact same to her.

There was still tension between Ginny and Ron. Things were even tense between her and Percy ever since she'd caught him tonguing Clearwater. The only ones she got on with were the twins but they had each other. It still was too embarrassing to be around Harry. Hermione wasn't her family. She barely knew the girl at all. Ginny just wasn't close to them. Their distance made her wonder if she'd ever really _had _been close to them from the start.

"So…whatcha doin' fer Valentines Day?" Hagrid asked out of the blue.

Ginny blushed, seeing emerald orbs almost immediately after Hagrid's question. "I haven't thought about it." Ginny said honestly, seeing Hagrid frown at her.

"Tell Harry yer feelings," Hagrid said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world to do. "It's not like he don't already kno' but I imagine it'll sound better coming from you rather than the twins or Ron."

"Maybe," Ginny said distractedly. She did want to beat Ron to a pulp when he'd told Harry that she'd been talking about him all summer, the traitor. Ginny had felt so humiliated after overhearing him tell Harry that. From then on, she couldn't even look at Harry without doing something completely stupid. It was a mental thing that she should just get over by now but she just couldn't.

"Think about it." Hagrid said and Ginny nodded, standing up to leave now.

"I'll call tomorrow if I can." Ginny said, seeing Hagrid give her a small smile in return.

"You forgot ur cakes." Hagrid teased Ginny.

"Hagrid, I'd be insane to eat those." Ginny said, smiling widely at him. Hagrid's smile widened because it was the first smile he'd seen reach Ginny's eyes all year round.

"Well, at least yer honest about 'em." Hagrid said with a small chuckle afterward. "It tickles me to watch Professor Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, and Hermione movin' 'em around on their plates."

"How Slytherin of you to subject them to such torture?" Ginny smirked at him.

"Off with you, Gin." Hagrid said, looking at the clock behind Ginny's bed. "It's an hour and a half before yer curfew and I'm sure yeh wanna stop by the library before headin' in for good, eh?"

Ginny nodded. "See you later, Hagrid."

He nodded before saying, "Good night, Ginny."

With that said, Ginny left Hagrid's hut and walked back toward the castle. Maybe Hagrid did have a point. Perhaps Ginny should tell Harry her feelings, rather than having her idiotic brothers tell him for her. Now the only thing to figure out was exactly how she should go about telling him.

* * *

Three days later, Ginny found herself staring down at Tom's diary thoughtfully. Only recently was she finding that writing to Tom didn't make her feel quite as good as she'd first thought. It took Ginny a while to accept that perhaps Tom didn't ultimately want what was best for her; it was still a concept she struggled with now.

Ginny was beginning to notice a disturbing pattern in her behavior after long stints of writing to Tom.

She'd been so blinded by her loneliness that she really hadn't seen it. Ginny doubted that she would've ever caught on quite this quickly if it hadn't been for the Occlumency practices that she was carrying out six hours of every evening. Familiarizing herself with her mind had led Ginny to learn more about herself. She was learning about what she had been, things that she had forgotten, and things that she had done to become the girl that she was today. It was a deep introspection that revealed qualities of her being that had to be acknowledged for what they were and not only at face value. Ginny did not have any time to waste, and the better her Occlumency, the more secure in her person she became.

Her Occlumency practices, quite simply, were giving Ginny a clarity of mind that she hadn't had in months.

For once, Ginny could _focus_ and think for herself. As Ginny stared down at Tom's diary, she couldn't help but wonder what sort of Compulsion Charm he'd placed on it. She knew that it was advanced, and she knew that something about it was inherently Dark Magic. Ginny couldn't be sure, but she felt like the more she wrote in it, the stronger the compulsion became. It was _still_ very strong; she could feel it, even now after not touching the diary for about two weeks. Something about Ginny was strengthening the diary. She just didn't know what exactly about her was allowing Tom to be so dominant over her.

His reaction to what she'd done to Flint had been the first thing to make her uneasy. After all the things he'd instructed her to learn, his take on her cruelty toward Flint really shouldn't have bothered Ginny; she, however, was just lucky that she'd began practicing Occlumency techniques around that time. The introspection allowed her to reflect on what she'd done herself without the overwhelming feeling of detachment. _The introspection allowed her to feel which feelings were hers and which feelings were not_.

The amount of hatred, rage, and greed that Tom had so far poured into her made Ginny all the more skeptical of his true intent. She'd been thinking for two weeks now what she should do with his Diary. She knew Tom and therefore she knew the diary wouldn't be destroyed easily. She also knew that they were bonded now. Ginny didn't have to write to Tom to feel him within her mind.

She knew Tom was beyond angry with her at the moment.

She knew he now wanted to _kill _her but even she could tell that he didn't want to do that more than anything, which only meant one thing and one thing alone: _She was still useful to him, and the moment her usefulness was outlived, she would die._

A part of Ginny wanted to take the diary to Dumbledore. She now knew that Tom had forced her into attacking those students but even she couldn't actually remember carrying out the attacks. She'd been writing to Tom for almost seven months now, and Ginny feared the _depth _of their bond more than anything else. She feared what he could and would do to her if she even told the Headmaster.

It was selfish to put herself above the safety of others in the castle, including her family and Harry. Ginny, however, wanted to survive and her knowledge of Dark Magic had taught her the dangers of certain bonds. The one that she had with Tom, she couldn't even be sure about. She just knew that before she did anything, she had to be able to gauge the strength of their connection. It was strong; she knew that much. The question was, _how strong_? The extent of its strength would determine the extent to which he could destroy her, but if he wanted to truly hurt her by now, he would have done so already. That made Ginny confident that, although their bond was strong, it wasn't strong enough for him to kill her.

Or he just didn't _want_ to _yet_.

Ginny constantly wondered what exactly was Tom waiting for?

Ginny shook her head, trying to figure out a way to be rid of Tom's diary for good. She couldn't destroy it; she'd tried setting it on fire. It hadn't even marked the book. She dared not touch it again and so she couldn't rip pages from it, unless she wore gloves. Yet, even if she did rip page after page from the diary, Ginny suspected that it would do no harm to it at all. Tom would still be there and his bond with her would remain intact.

_She'd get rid of the diary now. She'd figure out how to destroy the bond later. Maybe it'll go away with time. _Ginny only hoped as much.

She stood from her bed to leave the room. "Where are you going?" Astoria snapped bossily. Ginny ignored her, donning gloves to wrap the diary in a maroon scarf before leaving their dorm room.

Ginny hurriedly walked down the stairs leading away from her room and through the common room, ignoring Nott's gaze as it followed her until she was out of sight. As she began her walk up the stairs to the main part of the castle, Ginny couldn't help but wonder what exactly to do with the diary.

_I can't destroy it. I don't know how. I'm not strong enough to do it and what would Dumbledore destroying it do to me? Even if he did destroy it and all turned out well, would all be forgiven? The headmaster could probably overlook her transgressions but would the Ministry be so forgiving?_

It was at that moment when Ginny, who was distracted by her racing thoughts, stumbled on one of the many steps she was climbing up. There was a sharp pain in her right ankle that caused her to lose her footing and fall forward, until her knees had crashed to the stone and her palms opened up and bled. Ginny wasn't aware of the fact that the diary had fallen to the right side of where her right hand was planted against the stone, and as she clumsily struggled to her feet, her right wrist accidentally brushed against the leather-bound book. Ginny flinched away from the diary and watched as the book was enveloped by a golden glow.

_**I will destroy you**_.

Those four words were written across one of the many diary pages. Ginny stared at it fearfully with wide eyes. She stood and snatched up the scarf, using it to cover the book entirely. Ginny quickened her pace in the dark dungeons, relieved when she saw light not far ahead of her. Once she reached the main part of the castle, Ginny felt the diary vibrating violently in her arms. She needed to go somewhere near and stash it; she needed to find a place where no one hardly ever went. _I just need time to figure out what to do, _Ginny thought in a panic. _I can bring Professor Dumbledore back here to destroy it._ The diary was now trembling so violently that it was shaking her entire person.

_Just get rid of it_.

Ginny ran until she couldn't carry Tom's diary anymore. She went to the only place that she could: Moaning Myrtle's loo. Ginny knew she couldn't hold the book for much longer. Before it could make direct contact with her skin again, Ginny just drew back her arm and threw the book away from her. She quickly fled from the lavatory; she didn't want anyone to see her near the place.

It wasn't until she laid down an hour later that Ginny realized how stupid throwing away the diary like that had been. She'd went back for it to take it to the Headmaster, but it was gone. If someone found it (and Merlin forbid destroyed it the wrong way), then it would probably be the end of her.

Tom would make sure of that much.

* * *

The moment Ginny entered the common room was the moment her right elbow was firmly grasped by none other than Theodore Nott.

"What? Let go of me, Nott. Now!"

"Shut it, Weasley. You're coming with me." He said stiffly, pulling her to the other side of the room and up the stairs to Ginny's room. He shoved her into the room, all the while kicking the door closed behind them.

Ginny met his fierce gaze with a glare of her own. "What is your problem?"

"You're pathetic." He sneered, advancing toward Ginny who just stared up at him with slightly wide eyes. Ginny was so stunned that she didn't even think to draw her wand on him, especially now that he was standing in front of her. "—writing a poem to Potter. Of all people, it has to be Saint Potter."

Ginny glowered at Nott, pushing him away from her personal space. "You sound like Malfoy." Ginny spat, pointing her index finger at him. "And I can write poetry to whoever I want."

Nott quickly approached her, grabbing Ginny by the shoulders and giving her a slight shake. "He doesn't know you. He doesn't even see you and yet you still pine after him."

"Let—me—go."

Theodore looked down and back up into Ginny's honey orbs; instantly, he relinquished her with a look of regret. Ginny knew he'd never tell her sorry because Slytherins _never_ apologized unless they absolutely had to. Ginny could see the effort he was taking to keep his composure, as he fixed her with a gaze that was neither ruthless nor calculating.

"Potter doesn't know that you barely sleep at night." Theodore said; his gaze was far away as he spoke more to himself than to Ginny. "He doesn't know that every morning you wake up, you wonder for hours about who you really are to the point where you can't even remember who you were from the beginning…"

"Stop."

"Why?"

"Because you don't know me, that's why."

"I know you a lot better than Potter. That's for sure."

"Leave," Ginny said, controlling her voice very carefully so that she wouldn't rage at him.

"Make me." Theodore said challengingly, nearing slowly towards her again.

Ginny drew her wand and leveled it straight at his heart. Theodore, however, impressed Ginny because he did not flinch or react to what she'd done at all.

"You can't push me away, Ginevra." He said evenly, gently taking a hold of her wrist but not moving her wand away from his heart. "I've seen you distance yourself from everyone who's ever tried to reach you. You are afraid; I can see it in your eyes. I can help you find your strength once more but only if you let me."

Ginny didn't know how she did it, but all of a sudden, she felt a desperate need to know whether or not he _really_ meant what he'd told her. His hold on her wrist was gentle and his gaze on her was steady, intense, and comforting. She wanted to feel the very depths of his being, and without really meaning to do it, her mind reached out to Theodore's, until they were one. The connection could not have lasted more than a minute, but it was in that moment, that Ginny knew she really could trust Theodore Nott beyond all others.

He scared her.

Afterward, Ginny and Theodore both fell to the floor in her room, panting as they tried their best to gather their bearings.

"What did you do?" Theodore asked a couple of minutes later, looking at Ginny with wide eyes that seemed to be awed by her.

"I need you to leave, Theodore." Ginny said tiredly, not bothering to get to her feet since the world was still spinning in front of her eyes.

There was a long pause and Ginny realized that it was the way she'd said Theodore's name that had probably rendered the boy speechless for the moment.

"Answer me, Ginevra." Theodore said gently, and for a moment, Ginny almost opened her mouth to do just that.

"I will. One day, I will." Ginny said; her head was swimming and aching from what had just happened. "I now _know _that you're sincere about your offer. I understand, Theodore. Please let that be good enough for now."

Nott shakily stood to his feet and walked over to her, helping her stand because she was too weak to do so at the moment. He helped her wobble to her bed, which thankfully wasn't far. Oddly enough, it didn't feel strange when he removed her shoes and her tattered robes. Ginny never felt awkward as he pulled her bed covers over her, not even when he sat next to her on the bed and ran a hand through her hair. He leaned forward and his cool lips touched her forehead briefly before pulling away from her a little too soon. Their eyes met and Ginny couldn't help but want him to hold her, because she _knew_ that he really cared.

Theodore Nott was several things: An intelligent, calculating, almost ruthless young teen like Ginny but _he cared for her_. It was a very possessive care. Ginny had felt that much in his mind. Yet, it didn't bother her. He wanted to protect her but she couldn't—well, wouldn't—allow him to get involved with Tom. Somehow, Ginny felt like Tom was killing her. She did not want him killing Theodore, too.

Theodore cupped her face gently before leaving Ginny alone in her room. Tom had taken a lot from her: He'd robbed her of her Gryffindor destiny and her family, but he would never be able to take Theodore.

Ginny closed her eyes, not feeling so bad about that awful singing Valentine she'd given to Harry today. In fact, it was now insignificant and didn't compare much to how Theodore really felt toward her. Yet, even Theodore's regard wasn't enough to make her relax and forget that Harry now was in possession of Tom's diary. She would figure out how to steal it back tomorrow.

That night when she closed her eyes, for the first time in months, Ginny's dreams felt warm to her and it was all because of a pair of cold, humored, chocolate brown eyes.

* * *

It took Ginny three days to fully master and manipulate the Glamour Charm so that she could enter Gryffindor Tower as another, but once she did, she found her task easy. Longbottom was forgetful about everything, including the Gryffindor passwords that he forgot behind at breakfast. Since the boy was so isolated within his own house, none of his housemates even bothered to pick up the slip of parchment to give to him later. After the students' massive scramble to get to their morning classes had quelled, Ginny just walked by Gryffindor's table rather leisurely and snatched it up. Overall, she'd been very lucky. Ginny was just glad that she remembered Ron telling her about Neville's poor memory, especially at recalling passwords.

Once Ginny entered the correct dormitory, she began to hastily look through Harry's things. After about eight minutes of searching, she found the diary wrapped underneath Harry's amazing Invisibility Cloak. She'd stared at it for about a whole minute; she couldn't resist trying it on. Then Ginny looked down at her watch and gathered up the book using a black woolen scarf she'd brought with her just to carry the diary out of the Tower. Before leaving, she made an effort to trash the entire room, hoping that it would postpone them from noticing exactly what she'd been after. Leaving was easy, but even she couldn't help but look longingly back at the common room one last time before exiting the Tower forever.

As Ginny now laid on her bed in the Slytherin first year girl's dorm, she couldn't help but wonder what she should do now. Tom was aware that Harry no longer had the diary and he was more than furious.

Ginny now knew that Tom wanted Harry dead and stopping him from killing the Boy-Who-She-Just-Couldn't-Fully-Get-Out-Of-Her-Sys tem made her wonder how she could stop Tom without killing herself in the process.

* * *

(May 2, 1992)

Ginny had now been practicing Occlumency since the end of her New Years holiday, but she had increased the effort she'd put into the discipline ever since stealing the diary back from Harry. Ginny was now confident that her and Tom were bonded mentally, not by the soul. If the Diary was destroyed, however, she still couldn't be sure if it would be enough to separate him from her mind. They had been one for too long and the mind was vastly complex. Tom's mental connection to her was deeply parasitic. Only a powerful Legilimens like Dumbledore, she was absolutely sure of it, could really make sure he no longer remained in her mind.

But the more Ginny thought about it, she then realized that Tom could be expelled from her mind if she was able to best him by using Occlumency. There were dangers to confronting Tom so directly within her own mind, but while Ginny knew Dumbledore was capable of severing the connection, she did not trust him.

Her Occlumency skills had vastly improved. She was now able to fully isolate Tom, and with each day, his Compulsion on her weakened. Ginny was now able to raise an Occlumency shield around her mind that made it appear to a skilled Legilimens that she wasn't really Occluding. It had taken her so long to build the shield and then to enact it. She was always fortifying it, making it stronger from penetration, and most importantly, _detection_. Even Snape wasn't aware of its existence; Ginny was completely sure about that fact.

Therefore, Ginny was highly skilled at Occlumency and decent at Legilimency but she was not a Master of either yet. June, however, was three months away and Tom had to be dealt with now. There was a selfish part of her that did not want anyone knowing she had allowed Tom to use her to set the monster on so many innocents, including poor Colin Creevey, who'd always been rather nice to Ginny, though he was afraid of her, too. Ginny didn't want anyone to save her either. She could save herself; after all, she'd been stupid enough to get herself into this mess. Why shouldn't she be the one to get herself out of this situation?

Besides, she didn't trust anyone else not to make a mistake, all in the name of just helping her. Even the worst things could arise out of the best of intentions. Most of all, though, Ginny didn't want to hurt anyone else.

If she lost this battle of the mind, Ginny would use the dagger to her right and simply end it. Tom was still weak; even he could not possess her completely at all time. He wouldn't be able to contain her all day everyday. It would not be difficult to commit suicide to stop herself and Tom from hurting students, especially Harry and Theodore. Ginny knew that if she failed in this attack, Tom would immediately lash out and hurt (or kill) them to make her suffer. Yet, Ginny knew the risk. Tom was not weak, but he wasn't nearly as strong as he could be. Allowing him to remain in her mind this long had only strengthened him.

It was either him or her now, and if Ginny had to choose, then she would choose to end them both before she ever allowed him to hurt someone else again.

She closed her eyes and focused. It was easy to find him, where she had forced him to remain. Ginny was able to see him as a person. She knew the image she was seeing was the image that Tom's mind had created of itself. She had the element of surprise, and so she used every ounce of determination, hatred, and her need for revenge to push him further and further from her subconscious.

Ginny was able to weaken him, and to move him till where she wanted him to be. Yet, the sheer magnitude of Tom's counterattack against her was something she had not anticipated. She knew it would be a struggle but he was obliterating her now. The momentum and strength to which Ginny had used to find him had come from the strength and highly organized emotions and thoughts that were imperative to organizing her mind. Tom, however, was able to manipulate those strands of thoughts and emotions to his will, leaving Ginny utterly defenseless and on the ground at his feet. As she looked up at him in fear, she knew it would do no good to beg for mercy. He had the face of an angel, and the soul of a demon.

That was her last thought before he made her hurt.

"_Pathetic." Tom spat down at her, as he circled Ginny where she still lay. "I will tell you why you failed, Ginevra." He said, using his right hand to hoist her up by the neck until she dangled, choking for air, directly in front of him. "It is because you lack true conviction to bring me pain. Your will is weak, you stupid little girl. It means you cannot fight me." He said with a cruel smile, as Ginny clawed at his hands to release them from their hold around her throat._

_And that was when he threw her nearly six feet away from him. She landed and did not move because she couldn't. She tried again to launch another mental assault against him but he parried her attack like it was nothing._

"_You fail to realize your shortcomings, yet again." Tom said, and this time, Ginny screamed, feeling the intensity of white hot knives viciously stabbing her all over her body._

'_Not real,' were the only two words Ginny could coherently form. 'It's only in my head.'_

_Tom's cold laughter rang high, giving Ginny the chills. "It is your mind, Ginevra. I have not taught you so little for you to be this dimwitted."_

'_This is real.' Ginny realized and Tom evenly met her gaze with cruelty and no mercy._

_He gave a slight nod, and his cruel smile morphed into a smirk. "You trapped me here, but you did not account for the fact that you isolated me in a part of your mind where I still could access your conscience. You did not consider what fortifications I placed around my…prison. I knew you would strike first and so I was ready for you to try and fail. You are weak, a sour disappointment. I am your enemy. You should've had the strength of will, the utmost unwavering determination, to bring upon my destruction and yet you failed to do so. You failed Harry. You failed your precious Theodore, and you failed your blood traitorous family because I will kill them all and I will make you watch."_

"_You're not strong enough." Ginny said vindictively, and again, was thrashing and screaming. When the pain dulled, Ginny wasn't able to see straight for minutes._

"_Yet," Tom said glacially, kneeling beside Ginny and forcefully grasping her chin. "We both know it is only a matter of time, and I promise to kill everyone who's ever cared about you, my little Ginevra. You cannot stop me. You are powerless without me. Let me show you just how weak you are."_

_It was at that moment when Ginny fully understood why she wasn't able to make any headway in Legilimency. The art was a discipline that required one to willing impose their power and will on others. Legilimency was a form of domination—no matter if it was used for power, gain, pleasure, or pain. Ginny knew that she would have to lose her respect for other's people's minds if she ever truly wanted to become a Master, which was exactly the lesson Tom was trying to teach her at the moment, although it wasn't the most important lesson that he wanted to impart to her._

_The battle of the mind seemed to wage forever, and while Ginny put up a decent fight for an eleven year old, every mental shield she conjured to stop Tom from advancing to the very depths of her mind were painfully brutalized until they were completely shattered. Ginny's Occlumency techniques were simply something that amused Tom, who was able to always find a way to render them useless._

_Images from her early childhood played before her eyes._

"_This is what makes you weak." Tom's voice said with hatred._

_And suddenly, he lashed out. The torture she'd endured before was nothing compared to what she was experiencing now. He began with Ron, finishing what he'd begun that day in the library. Ginny wanted to scream for mercy but all she could do was yell in pain, as he manipulated the feelings attached to every single memory of her youngest brother, until she virtually felt nothing but utter resentment toward her own flesh and blood._

_He moved to Charlie next but Ginny did not have much recollection of him and so it was all the more difficult for Riddle to latch onto an emotion concerning him. Even Ginny knew that Riddle would have to go deeper in order for him to change that most natural love she had for her brother. That, however, didn't stop Riddle from wiping away every memory that she'd ever had of him. He couldn't take away her love for her brother, and so instead, he took away all memory of him. It was like loving a stranger with no face now, for that was all Charlie Weasley was to her._

_And then Ginny saw her mother._

_Tom was attacking every memory she had of her mother, going deeper to the core parts of her mind. Accessing that part of her—stripping her of those feelings—would more than likely kill Ginny. Since her mind couldn't defend itself, then her magic, upon sensing this overwhelming threat, reared up until Tom was thrown back to the place she had originally isolated him in. Her magic began constructing mental shields, and her mind barely registered the fact that these protections were temporary._

_Her last thought before giving into exhaustion was that she should have went to Headmaster Dumbledore._

* * *

It had been six days since Ginny had slept. She feared the night, and even worse, she feared Riddle.

She couldn't defeat him and now she was completely powerless and therefore could not go to Dumbledore. Confronting Tom had been a mistake; she should have let Dumbledore deal with it.

Ginny now had to spend every waking moment fighting Riddle. She fought him, each and every second of every day. They were not quite at a stalemate. Tom constantly threatened Ginny and tried to reach the part of her mind that would make her forget her family. Worst of all, he'd threatened to render her what he called a _vegetable_.

He would make her live without really living if she fled to the Headmaster. Riddle promised to mutilate and trap her mind in a place where even Dumbledore would not be able to free her—and Ginny knew Tom: _He always kept his promises_.

Ginny was now forced to do constant mental battle against Riddle. She couldn't focus in class and she could barely pay attention to the number of days that passed, or for that matter, when the sun rose and set. Ginny was exhausting her magical reserves, using them to keep Tom at bay, while also trying to keep herself awake. When she would spend her evenings in Snape's study lab, Ginny would sometimes find herself making Pepper-Up potion for at least twice a week. The potion had gotten her through most of that year, but now she was taking it every five hours so that she wouldn't go to sleep.

It was ridiculous really, thinking that she could defeat Lord Voldemort at Occlumency. Ginny was now aware of who she harbored in her mind, especially since she was using a lot of Legilimency to fight the monster who was trying to fully take her over. Ginny could only contain and deflect him…for now.

Yet, if she went to sleep, all would be lost. And if she so much as dared to take a step toward Dumbledore, the battle in her head would be over for good. So Ginny found herself waiting and fearing the inevitable which was one thing and one thing alone.

Time.

Because it was only a matter of time before He won. That fact was something that more than sickened and disgusted Ginny with herself because it was her weakness that had made all of this year's wrongs her fault.

* * *

(May 28)

She was dying, though it was the guilt that was really eating her alive. At first, it had empowered her to fight him but Ginny soon grew weary and weak. It was that weakness that had allowed him control in early May, and he decided to lash out against Hermione and Clearwater. She had fallen asleep and her defenses had crumbled. Since then, Ginny had been taking potion after potion to energize her enough so that she wouldn't need sleep.

She always had to hide from McGonagall and Snape. They saw every weakness and every change. Thankfully Ginny was a Master at Glamour Charms and was able to manipulate them to her will. Other than the fact that little Ginny was always rather a bit pale, everyone actually thought she was getting healthier, if only a bit quieter.

Yet, even Ginny realized that she couldn't keep Voldemort at bay for much longer and so she decided to tell Harry because Dumbledore was gone. Ginny wished she just would've told him from the start. Percy, however, ran her away from the Gryffindor's table and now Riddle was making her suffer for her 'disobedience,' he'd called it. He was Crucio-ing her, and Ginny didn't have to have the curse physically cast on her to know that it was more traumatic and unbearable to endure from within the mind since it was the mind that magnified and heightened every sensation.

Ginny now had to choose between either stopping the pain or stopping Riddle from turning her into a vegetable. Ginny chose to do the later, because she'd had a whole year of pain that she was more than used to by now. Though Riddle tried to break the barriers that protected the utmost core of her mind, even He could not penetrate them.

At last, Ginny had finally mastered Occlumency—but she'd suffered a price for that, too.

It was a horrible thing to feel one's life force drained from their body and poured into another. He was stealing her soul, forcing it into his incomplete fragment that Ginny noted was less than half. Since Ginny could _feel _his soul, then she honestly couldn't say what Voldemort was. She knew he was not human—at least, not completely.

Ginny had finally admitted to herself that he was an abomination, an evil monster. This time, she allowed herself to admit it again. She now lay on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets. The trap had been set and only Harry could really save her now. Ginny had _never_ wanted to involve him; she'd wanted to protect him, and instead, she was the reason for getting everyone killed.

As she lay dying, the guilt was more than unbearable. Ginny would never get to tell them she was sorry. She'd never get the chance to make up for her wrongs.

"Do not worry, little Ginevra." an almost solid Tom said to her, purposefully running his hand through her hair to prove that he was stronger as she grew weaker. "You have served me well and so I have decided to repay you by giving your precious Harry a quick, petrifying death."

Ginny couldn't even shake her head or cry out; she was just that weak. Her reserves were nearly depleted; it would be a miracle if her magic ever healed properly, they both knew that. Ginny could not speak. That still didn't stop her from using the last of her reserves to enter his mind. Ginny had surprised him, the so-called Master Legilimens, when she'd reached out to him.

_On my life, on my magic, and on my blood, I vow to do any and everything in my power to end you, Tom Marvolo Riddle._

And before the last of her magic gave, Ginny thought she saw the most beautiful emerald and chocolate brown. And then she saw no more.

* * *

(9:30 AM June 19)

Ginny found herself sitting in the Headmaster's Office. In front of her sat Headmaster Dumbledore. To his left stood Professor McGonagall and to his right was Professor Snape. Ginny had found herself released from the infirmary two days ago. Only her parents, the Headmaster, Madam Pomfrey, and Professor Snape truly knew _some _of the extent that she'd went to keep Riddle at bay. Her reliance on sleeping potions to keep her awake for three weeks straight was thankfully something that was easily undone within the first week of her treatment in June. The road to recovery had been painful but Ginny stuck to it and made it through.

Madam Pomfrey was convinced that Ginny's dangerous taxation on her magical reserves would need about six months to properly heal. During those six months, she was forbidden to use magic, something which her parents knew all about. Ginny was glad that they were more worried about her than they were disappointed in her. Often her Dad would read to Ginny in the infirmary, even when she was asleep. Ginny thought her Mum was slightly distant; Ginny could sense a change in their relationship. Dumbledore and the matron, however, had convinced them that Ginny was not at fault and that she'd nearly lost her life by fighting as she did against Voldemort.

Ginny wasn't foolish enough not to believe that she wasn't at fault. She just knew she was and Snape knew it, too. He had not spared her feelings. The day she was released from the infirmary was the exact day he assigned her detention for the first three months of her second year. He'd tried to give her a six-month detention but the Headmaster forbade it. Ginny didn't so much mind Snape's presence near her now that she was a Master Occlumens and a decent Legilimens. _She now only had to worry about keeping those two facts away from him and the Headmaster_.

She now sat in the Headmaster's office, waiting for them to place the Sorting Hat on her head once more for a re-sorting, as McGonagall called it. Surprisingly, it was done at the behest of Professor Snape, for reasons that Ginny herself couldn't understand. She just wanted to get it done and over with. She now understood why she _truly _belonged in Slytherin; she accepted it but did not like it.

"This, I think, shall only take a moment," The Headmaster said all-knowingly with a twinkle in his eye, giving a slight nod and smile to Ginny as he placed the hat on top of her head. It slid over Ginny's eyes and Ginny simply waited.

She did not have to wait long.

"_Curious that we should speak yet again_." _The hat said, sounding rather annoyed. "I said it once and I shall repeat myself: You are a Slytherin, girl."_

"_I know that." Ginny said simply. "It's them that need to believe it."_

"_Hmm, and yet even you still do not understand why you are truly a member of your house."_

"_What do you mean?" Ginny asked slowly, trying to keep the sharp quality out of her voice._

"_You know that you have a Gryffindor's fortitude that is greatly strengthened by your resourcefulness and your ambition to achieve your desired ends. Fear not, I do not criticize you, Miss. Weasley." The hat said, sensing her anger. "The truth, girl, is that you do tread a fine line, but you have much that Tom did not. Still, that fortitude is your greatest strength and your most crippling weakness."_

"_Will I become like Him?" Ginny asked, holding her breath for the hat's answer._

"_As always, no matter the person, what you become is your choice, Miss. Weasley. I am but a hat, though I am the most intelligent of my kind." It drawled, continuing, "Some things, my dear girl, cannot be told. They must be lived in order for one to learn. Undoubtedly, Miss. Weasley, you will be great. But will you be terrible? That is something only you can determine. _SLYTHERIN!"

Ginny lifted the hat from her head and stared down at it as she held it in her lap. She didn't care how the three professors looked at her then. Being Sorted into Slytherin wasn't something she could completely lay at Tom's feet; besides, she didn't want to do that anymore. The hat was trying to tell her many things but the most important thing was that the reason for her belonging in Slytherin house did not have to wholly define her forever. The Magical World had a habit of believing that Houses decided everything, when in actuality, it didn't really have to be that way.

It would be that way—that is, if Ginny allowed it. She would face the stereotypes surrounding Slytherin House, and she'd prove them wrong.

Ginny stood and handed the hat back to Professor Dumbledore, who took it with an analytical look behind the twinkle in his eyes.

"Thank you for letting it touch me again." Ginny said more to the Headmaster than to Professor Snape. The Headmaster's gaze was clearly curious by her comment, as was Snape and McGonagall. "I think I can now be at peace with its decision. I can't really explain it but I'm just…confident that its decision is really true to me." Ginny said with a far away look in her eyes. She focused again on her Professors before finally saying. "Have a great summer, Professors."

McGonagall frowned at Ginny while Snape sneered at her. Dumbledore inclined his head saying, "As should you, my dear girl."

And that was Ginny's cue to leave for the train with the others. She offered them one last smile before closing the door to the Headmaster's office, hoping that she wouldn't be returning again anytime soon.

* * *

The Hogwarts Express moved quickly over the hilly Scottish land, bringing them closer and closer to London. The halls were filled with happy students who were loud and excited about what they'd be doing over the holiday. Ginny, though, couldn't share in their excitement. Riddle was no longer a parasite to her but that didn't mean that he was forever gone for Ginny. Her vow to kill him would always make their paths tethered. As Ginny was fading, she'd made an Unbreakable Vow, while simultaneously declaring a blood feud between all of her bloodline against his.

Somewhere in the world, Voldemort was out there waiting. And while Ginny held several weapons—advantages that he was not aware of—he still had taken more from her than she'd ever be able to rob him of. Being around Ron now was utterly unbearable. He was a brother only in name, _not_ in feeling. She didn't know if the feelings were still there or if they were all gone. She doubted the latter, but her mind needed time to heal, including her magic. Her parents couldn't afford Mind-healers and the Headmaster would probably tell her to wait, on top of making the process highly uncomfortable for everyone. Now only Ginny had to hope that her magic would heal what Tom had broken.

She'd spent hours on end being around her parents and her brothers. Most of the time, this company included Hermione and Harry. It shouldn't have been so hard to be around them because Ginny still loved them. Yet she felt so separated from them. She was a part of them but then she wasn't and everyone knew it. Yet, they loved her all the same. They would die for her, just as she would die for them.

They had all changed. She'd changed, too.

Ginny didn't even notice the door to her compartment open. She was too lost in her thoughts, desperately hoping that the cool glass that her forehead rested against would lessen her migraine and rushing thoughts. Needless to say, it didn't for either. She barely registered the warm touch that enclosed her small hand, but when she looked down and saw the pale hand that covered hers, she couldn't help the small smile that touched her lips as she looked up into the eyes of Theodore Nott, who was seated next to her.

Ginny's mind reached out to his again, but this time, Theodore didn't notice her intrusion. When she withdrew from his conscience, she found herself being pulled into his embrace. He shared the same pain as she, for Voldemort had somehow taken his mother. They both knew that, should He ever return, that Voldemort would consume Theodore's future. Yet he still cared for Ginny, a girl he knew full well to be a blood traitor. Ginny knew that he no longer tried to understand his feelings; he just went with how he felt towards her.

There was a pull between them that even she couldn't ignore. At this moment, Ginny didn't want to ignore it, despite the fact that they could be each others joy and pain. None of that mattered, as he held her in silence. Theodore comforted her as she truly broke down for the first time that year. The world was bleak and full of suffering but at least being in his arms at that moment made her truly feel stronger. Nott would not forsake her, no matter who she would later choose to become.

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